Til Death Do Us Part
by LiveYoungDieFast
Summary: Santana has an important question to ask her girlfriend, however nothing could prepare her for Rachel's answer.
1. Chapter 1

o

 **Til Death Do Us Part**

 **Chapter One**

* * *

Santana knew he was going to run the moment he saw her, if that wasn't an indication of his guilt she doesn't know what is. She takes of after him; she knows that her partner won't be far behind. She also knows her strengths; she works out four times a week to keep her fitness up. There was no way in hell that this doped up kid is going to out run her.

Santana knows Lima like the back of her hand, so she knows how to easily navigate her way through these streets. The hardest part, was navigating her way through the crowds of people walking along the sidewalk. The only advantage is that it is also slowing down the perpetrator.

Santana manages to carefully dodge past a woman pushing a stroller, however, the dealer ahead isn't as graceful and crashes into an elderly woman, knocking her to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Santana asks as she reaches her.

She quickly helps the woman to her feet all the while keeping an eye on the fleeing criminal.

"Yes dear, now go and catch that scumbag."

"Yes ma'am" Santana smiles at the elderly woman before taking off after the dealer again.

She's manages to catch up quickly and is back on the dealers tail. She counts herself lucky when he runs down an alley she knows is a dead end.

As she rounds the corner she see's the dealer halfway up the chain link fence that blocks the alleyway from the connecting street. She runs over to the fence and gets a tight grip on the back of the dealer's jacket and pulls him as hard as she can.

He hits the floor and groans with the impact. Santana takes this as her chance to roll him on his front and connects each side of the hand cuffs to his each of his wrists.

"Kyle Walker you are under arrest for the suspicion of possession and the intent to supply. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?" Santana asks.

"Fuck you."

"I can also add in an assault charge for the woman you knocked over too if you want. Now, do you understand these rights?"

"Fine. Yes, I understand."

"Good" Santana says as she grabs her radio to call her partner.

"Dobbs, we're in the alleyway next to the old Italian deli on Twelfth Avenue."

"I'll be there in two minutes Lopez" her partner's voice says through the radio.

"How long are you going to leave me on the floor for?" Kyle asks.

"Until my partner gets here with the car."

As if on cue, the police car pulls up outside of the entrance to the alleyway and out steps Santana's partner; Neil Dobbs.

"Damn you're fast. Where you on the track team in high school?" Dobbs asks as he approaches Santana.

"No but I was a cheerleader."

"A cheerleader? I was on the football team and even I didn't run that fast."

"That's because you didn't have Sue Sylvester as a coach."

"Aright Walker let's get you up" Dobbs says as he grabs Kyle by the arm and pulls him to his feet. He walks him over to the police car and stops him outside of the passenger seat.

"You have to be searched before you go in the car" Dobbs explains as he opens the driver's door to retrieve his disposable gloves.

"Do you have anything on you that can harm me?" Dobbs asks as he pulls on his gloves.

"I much rather you search me sexy" Kyle says to Santana.

"Well fortunately for me, you have to be searched by a male officer. Now can you please answer my partner's question? Do you have anything on you? It'll be easier for you if you don't lie."

"I have a switch in my pocket."

"Which one?"

"In my jeans, on the left."

Dobbs searches the pocket and pulls out a red switch blade. He places it in a small evidence bag and hands it to Santana.

"Do you have anything else on you?"

"No, that's it."

Dobbs carries on his search and pulls out four small packets of white powder from a hidden pocket in the inside of Kyle's jacket.

"Things aren't looking good for you, are they Kyle?" Dobbs says as he places the small packets into another evidence bag.

"What's in the bags?" Santana asks.

"I don't know, it's not my jacket."

"Whose jacket is it?"

"A friend."

"What friend?"

"John."

"John who?"

"I don't know his last name."

"He's your friend and he lends you his jacket yet you don't know his last name. You're seriously going to try and pull that one?" Santana asks with a raised eyebrow.

Kyle doesn't respond and Santana doesn't expect him to, he's already dug himself into a deep hole. If he keeps talking she might as well hand him a shovel.

Dobbs finishes his thorough body search of the suspect and finds no more evidence on him. Dobbs helps Kyle into the back of the police car whilst Santana labels the evidence. She places both evidence bags into a larger brown bag and labels that too before placing it into the trunk of the police car.

She shuts the trunk and makes her way round to the front passenger side door. She finds her partner already at the wheel whilst she takes her own seat. She puts on her seatbelt as Dobbs starts the engine and pulls away from the alley and heads towards the station.

* * *

Santana finishes her pile of paperwork with a sigh. She loves being a detective, but she doesn't love the amount of paperwork that is involved.

"Coffee?" Dobbs asks holding out a small polystyrene cup filled with hot coffee.

"Thanks Dobbs."

"No worries, you can have a five minute break and then we need go if you want to stop by that store before our break ends."

"Have you heard any news on Walker?" Santana asks.

"They've only just started interviewing him, he didn't have an attorney so they've had to provide one for him and he's only just arrived."

"I hope he talks, we need to find out who his supplier is. I'm certain there is a connection between him and Estevez."

"I heard the Captain say that they're trying to get him on a supplying charge so maybe they'll try to cut him a deal if he talks" Dobbs explains.

"Well any information is better than none."

"Alright, are you ready to make a move?"

"Yeah I'm ready."

They head down to where their car was parked, Dobbs automatically heads for the drivers seat whilst Santana takes the passenger side. They're on the road for about ten minutes when Santana see's the store she's been waiting for up ahead and tells Dobbs to pull over.

"I'll only be a few minutes" Santana says as she exits the car.

She opens the door to the jewelry store and is instantly greeted by a middle aged man in a grey suit.

"Good morning detective, is there anything I can assist you with?"

"Don't worry sir, this is more of a social call" Santana explains.

"Well my name is Daniel, what can I help you with today?"

"I'm looking for a ring."

"What kind of ring?"

"An engagement ring. I'm going to ask my girlfriend to marry me" Santana says with a smile.

"That's wonderful news. Do you know what kind of ring you are looking for?"

"Not really. I just thought that I would know the right one when I saw it."

"What price range are you looking at?" Daniel asks.

"I don't care what it costs. Rachel deserves the best; I'll work longer and harder if I have to just to pay it off."

"Okay, we can have a look at a selection from different price ranges and we'll see if any catch your eye. If we move over to this side of the counter we can look at the rings at the lower end of the scale" Daniel says as he moves over to the right hand side of the counter.

Santana inspects all of the rings inside of the glass case, but none of them called to her.

"I'm sorry but I haven't seen the right one yet.

There is no need to apologize; buying an engagement ring is a big deal. If we move over here you can see another range of rings. These are a little more expensive, but they're a higher carat diamond."

The new batch of rings look more like what Santana is looking for, but still not a single one catches her eye. She wanted this ring to be perfect for Rachel.

"What about these rings?" Santana asks pointing towards a small section of rings.

"Those are three stone rings, they signify the past, the present and the future of your relationship" Daniel explains.

"I like that the ring symbolizes something other than just marriage."

"Would you like me to get them out so you can have a better look at them?"

"That'd be great."

Daniel uses his keys to open the compartment in the glass case. He carefully picks up the tray of rings and places them on the counter.

Santana looks at each of the rings intently. They are all beautiful but there is one in particular that catches her eye.

"I like this one" she tells Daniel pointing at the ring.

Daniel nods his head and picks up the ring to examine it himself.

"This ring is set with three princess cut diamonds each held in twist claw settings, as you can see the centre diamond is slightly larger than the two side stones. The setting and band of the ring are crafted in platinum. It really is a beautiful ring" he explains.

"It's perfect, Rachel will love it."

"The added beauty about these rings is that each is custom made. You can pick the carat of the diamonds, the clarity, the cut and the polish so it gives each ring its own uniqueness."

"You don't have to say any more; I'm completely sold" Santana laughs.

"Okay then, let's us move over to the computer and enter a few details and then we can get a price estimation."

Daniel places the ring back in its protective tray before locking it back in the glass counter. He then moves over to the computer at the right of the counter.

"The price of your ring will depend firstly on the carat of the diamond and then the quality of the diamond, for example a good quality one carat diamond will cost around nine thousand dollars. However, with your ring you have to keep in mind that your ring takes three diamonds. They all don't have to be the same; it's recommend that you have a larger carat in the middle with the two smaller at the sides. For example, a ring with one carat diamond in the middle of two half carat diamonds would cost just over thirteen thousand" Daniel explains.

"I know I said money was no object and I would love nothing more that to buy Rachel a one carat diamond ring, but unfortunately that really is out of my price range, especially since I have to pay for the actual wedding itself" Santana says.

"We can reduce that by over half is you select the middle diamond at just over half a carat with the two smaller diamonds at a quarter of a carat. The half carat diamonds are a very popular choice for engagement rings. We can get you the best quality diamonds and that would cost just over five thousand dollars."

"That sounds more like what I can afford. I'll take the half carat plus the two quarter carats. At least the whole ring will be a full carat together" Santana jokes.

"Okay, that's perfect. I'll just put that through the system and I need a few details from you too."

Santana spends the next few minutes answering questions from Rachel's ring size, which was easier to find out than she expected, to Santana's own personal details.

"That's perfect, the ring can take up to two weeks before it's ready and we do ask for a twenty percent deposit today. These diamonds are expensive and we can't afford to order them and then for the customer not to pay" Daniel explains.

"Oh crap, I don't have my wallet. Will you still have the diamonds if I come by tomorrow, I'm working the late shift so I can swing by in the morning."

"This is usually against protocol, but I'm willing to bend the rules this once for you detective. I'll still process your order, but I'll allow you to pay the deposit tomorrow morning instead, that way your ring is secure."

"Thank you so much Daniel. I promise I'll be back here in the morning as soon as you open."

"I trust you will detective Lopez."

"Thanks again Daniel. I'll see you tomorrow" Santana says before exiting the store.

She makes her way over to the police car and gets into the passenger side, closing the door behind her.

"So did you finally find one you like?" Dobbs asks as Santana fastens her seatbelt.

"Yes. I should be able to propose to Rachel in a couple of weeks" Santana says with a smile.

"I'm happy for you Santana."

"Thanks Dobbs."

"So we have another five minutes before we're back on duty. Want to get a doughnut?"

"You really like to live up to the stereotype don't you?"

"I can't help it, I just love doughnuts" Dobbs laughs.

"I know and that's why I chase the criminals whilst you sit on your fat ass and follow in the car."

"My ass is not fat."

"Whatever you say Tubbs. Sorry, I mean Dobbs."

"How you got Rachel to date you is beyond me."

"I know and now I have to convince her to marry me too" Santana jokes.

Dobbs laughs as he pulls the car away from the curb. He had been Santana's partner for the past two years. They had been assigned on a murder case together and had instantly clicked, their friendship helped them in their investigation and since then they always came as a pair.

"So how did you ask Maggie to marry you?" Santana asks.

"I asked her on Valentines day. She knows that I'm not the romantic type so she wasn't expecting anything. I told her that I was trying to make an effort this year so I bought her a card. It was your normal, generic Valentine's card but inside I wrote 'Will You Marry Me?" and stuck the ring underneath it. She looked at me as if I was crazy, but then a few seconds later she screamed yes and started crying." Dobbs says with a smile.

"That's actually a rather sweet story. I'm surprised it's coming from you."

"We've been married for nine years and I haven't bought her another Valentines Day card since" Dobbs laughs.

"Okay now that sounds more like you."

"We've been behind that car up ahead for a while now and his driving looks a little suspicious to me. It's driving a little erratic, it keeps speeding up and then slowing down plus he's weaved a few times too. Can you call in a license plate check?" Dobbs asks.

"Sure" Santana says as she grabs the receiver for the radio.

"Dispatch, this is detective Lopez I need a 10-14."

"10-4."

"License plate number David. Lincoln. Paul. Seven. Six. Eight. Zero."

Dobbs keeps a safe distance away from the suspicious vehicle as they wait for the answer from dispatch.

"That is a confirmed 10-16."

"10-4. We'll investigate."

"Looks like your doughnut will have to wait" Santana says as she flicks on the blue light and sirens.

* * *

If there was one thing that Santana was, it was that she was honest. So the day after she visited the jewelry store she showed up in the morning before the store had even opened and paid the deposit on the engagement ring. That was two weeks ago and she was now on her way home from work and on the way she had picked up the ring from the jewelry store.

"Honey, I'm home!" Santana calls as she enters the apartment.

"I'm in the bedroom."

Santana enters the bedroom to find Rachel sitting on their bed, towel drying her hair. She is only wearing a robe so a lot of her skin is on show.

"How was your day?" Rachel asks.

"Good. The one thing I love about being a cop is that every day is different" Santana replies as she pulls of her jacket.

She throws the jacket over the dressing table chair, much to the dismay of Rachel who rolls her eyes at her girlfriend's actions. Rachel has told Santana over and over again to hang up her jacket when she gets home but still Santana leaves the jacket on the chair.

"I'll hang it up later, I promise" Santana says, as if she can read her girlfriend's mind.

Santana moves the short distance over to Rachel and places a soft kiss on her lips. She then moves her lips over the large patch of exposed skin of Rachel's neck.

"You're in a good mood" Rachel smiles.

"Well it's not every day I get to finish early enough to take my beautiful girlfriend out for dinner" Santana grins as she continues her assault of Rachel's neck.

"You need to stop, we have reservations at eight" Rachel says, lightly pushing her girlfriend off her.

"Fine. I'll just go and have a quick shower so I can wash the streets of Lima off of me."

"Don't worry we can continue doing that, later this evening" Rachel says getting off the bed; the movement making her robe slip further down.

"I think I better have a cold shower" Santana mumbles as she makes her way over to the bathroom.

They make it to the restaurant just in time for their reservation. They are seated at the back of the restaurant in a quite little area which is something Santana is grateful for, because of her work hours she doesn't get to spend as much time with Rachel as she would like. So being in a quite spot meant she could concentrate on her girlfriend.

They have a great time over dinner; they hadn't had a date like this since they first started dating. Their dates nowadays consist of quick lunches or a take out and a movie in front of the television. Not that either of them minded, as long as they were spending time together they didn't care what they did.

Once they have settled the check, they exit the restaurant and walk arm in arm down the street.

"Are you okay? You seem a little quieter than usual" Rachel asks.

"I'm fine, maybe a little tired. It's been a long week."

To tell the truth Santana was terrified. Not a lot of things phased Santana; she was a cop after all. She had witnessed a lot of things patrolling the streets of Lima and she took everything in stride. She liked to think of herself as a brave person, however, there was one thing that scared her and that was the fear of rejection by the people she loved.

It started when she was younger, her father was a doctor so he was very rarely home. He would often make promises to her, but never saw them through since his work was more important.

In high school Santana thought that she and her best friend had mutual feelings for each other, but when she finally declared her love for the other girl, Brittany chose someone else and it broke Santana's heart.

The worst moment of Santana's life was when she felt that she was finally ready to be herself and to admit her sexuality to everyone. Her parents and friends took the news rather well but the thing that devastated Santana was the fact that she was rejected by the one person she loved the most; her Abuela.

Since her father worked long hours and so did her mother, Santana's Abuela practically raised her. She was always there for Santana whenever she needed her and it pained Santana that she wouldn't accept her for who she is.

She had cut Santana out of her life completely. Santana knows that her father tries to talk about his daughter to his mother. He had told her that Santana had enrolled in the police academy and then went on to become a cop, but she hadn't seemed interested.

One thing her Abulea would never know about though was Rachel. It upsets Santana to know that her grandmother would never approve of the most important thing in her life; her relationship with Rachel.

She loves Rachel, she really does and that's why she wanted to ask her to marry her. The only negative thing about the proposal is that there is a chance Rachel could say no and Santana isn't sure if her heart could take anymore rejection, especially not from Rachel.

"I thought maybe we could take a walk through the park" Santana says.

"You know before I met you, I would never walk through a park at night. You always make me feel safe."

"Good because I promise to always keep you safe."

They walk hand in hand down the path in the middle of the empty park. The air is cool, but other than that it was a nice night. The sky is cloudless, letting the light from the moon shine through the row of trees.

"Are you cold?" Santana asks.

"A little bit."

"Here take my jacket" Santana says as she shrugs off the item of clothing.

She helps Rachel into the jacket and zips it all the way up to the top. Santana sneaks a quick peck on Rachel's lips before she re-joins their hands and they continue their walk.

Rachel's left hand that isn't being held by Santana is starting to become cold too so she decides to keep it warm by slipping it in the pocket of the jacket she's wearing.

However, when she reaches into the pocket her hand is obstructed by a small object. Curious, she pulls out the object to find a small, white box.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Rachel opens the box to find a beautiful diamond ring. She stares at it in shock for a few moments until Santana picks the ring out of the box and gets down on one knee.

"Rachel Berry, will you marry me?"

"Santana don't you think we're moving a little too fast."

"How is it too fast? We've been together for five years and we live together. I think that we are finally ready to take the next step in our relationship and get married."

"You've never given the impression that you wanted to get married before."

Santana starts to feel a little bit stupid on the ground now so she gets back up on her feet. She takes both of Rachel's hands in her own and looks straight into the other girl's eyes.

"I understand that I might have taken you by surprise, but I've been thinking about proposing for months. As cheesy as it sounds, I knew the moment I met you that you were the one. I love you. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. Do you not feel the same?"

"Of course I do. You know that I love you Santana and I would love nothing more in this world than to be your wife, but I can't marry you."

Santana's heart stops at those words. She isn't sure if she can speak, her worst fear is to be rejected by Rachel and by the looks of things she's about to be.

"What? Why not?" Santana asks, finally finding her voice.

"I can't marry you… because I'm already married."


	2. Chapter 2

o

 **Til Death Do Us Part**

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Santana has been staring a Rachel without saying anything for a few seconds, her mind trying to process what her girlfriend has just said. She definitely wasn't expecting Rachel to say that.

"What? I...What?" Santana asks when she finally finds her voice.

"I know you're confused" Rachel says.

"That's an understatement."

"Please would you let me explain myself?"

"Go ahead. I would love to hear you explain how you're already married!"

"Please don't be like this."

"How do you expect me to react? My girlfriend just told me that she's married. That's a big thing for me to process."

"I know but if you let me explain, everything will be a lot clearer and hopefully you'll understand. Can we just go home so we can talk?" Rachel asks.

"Okay, fine."

They walk back to their apartment in complete silence. Rachel attempts to say something to her girlfriend, but every time she tries she thought better of it. When they reach the apartment Santana pours herself a large glass of wine before making her way out of the kitchen and into the living room.

She finds Rachel sitting on the couch, but instead of sitting in the empty space next to her, she sits on the chair.

"You said you were going to explain, so explain" Santana says before taking a large sip of wine.

"When I said I was married, I should have been more technical and said that I am separated. However, we never managed to make anything legal."

"So you're not like married with kids, living a double life or anything?"

"Santana we've been dating for five years and have been living together for two of those years, do you really think I could hide a spouse and children?"

"You managed to hide the fact that you were married easily enough."

"I know. I'm very sorry about that, but it's in my past and it's something I would rather stay there."

"So do you have a husband or a wife?" Santana asks.

"I was married to a man; you're the only woman I've ever been in love with."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Nick and he was my high school boyfriend."

"So when did you marry him?"

"A year after high school. I was so in love with him, when he proposed I couldn't say no. Our parents and friends told us that we were crazy to get married so young, they told us we wouldn't last but as always I wouldn't listen. I thought we'd be on of those couples that lasted, but of course I was wrong and everyone else was right. We didn't even last a year" Rachel explains.

"So why didn't you get a divorce?"

"I tried to, but after we broke up, he moved away and we lost contact with each other. I tried to find him, but not even his parents knew where he was. When I met you I forgot all about him, you made me forget about the stupid mistake I made in the past and made me fall in love with you."

"I still don't get why you never told me."

"I was embarrassed by my actions; I married my high school boyfriend straight out of high school. When we first met I didn't mention it because I thought you'd think I was easily committed and that it would scare you off but I'm not like that, I was young and stupid at the time."

"You think that little of me? I wouldn't have thought that at all. I understand how strong you feel for your first love, trust me I've experienced it. All of your emotions feel heightening in high school and you obviously felt strongly for this guy that you agreed to marry him. I also know that not everything works out the way you want it to" Santana says.

"I know I went about this the wrong way but I have told people I've dated in the past and they've seemed put off by it. It was wrong of me to hide it from you; you're such a wonderful person I should have known that you would understand."

"I would have understood and I'm very disappointed that you felt the need to lie to me. We've been together for five years and we pride ourselves on never lying to each other and now I find out you've been lying to me since the very beginning. How do I know that you haven't lied about other things?" Santana asks.

"I'm hoping you know me well enough to know that I would never lie to you and this particular secret was the only thing I've ever hid from you. I know I've broken your trust, but I swear this is the only thing I have not told you about."

"I can't deal with this now. I was expecting to ask you to marry me tonight and instead I find out that somebody else got there first. I'm going to bed."

Santana makes her way to their bedroom; she knows that Rachel won't follow her. Rachel is well verse in how to deal with an angry Santana, she just let's her have her space so she can calm down. Rachel knows that Santana will always go to her when she's ready.

At the moment Santana's head is all over the place, she just wants to sleep on it and deal with things tomorrow.

* * *

Santana leaves Rachel asleep the next morning as she leaves for work. She still wasn't ready to talk and she had a long day of work ahead of her so she didn't want to add any more stress to the day. As she enters the station Santana is greeted by her partner and best friend.

"Hey Santana, how did the proposal go?" Dobbs asks.

"Not the way I planned. It's complicated."

"She didn't say no did she?"

"She didn't say no but she didn't say yes either" Santana explains.

"Yeah that does sound complicated."

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"No worries but you know that if you ever do, I'm here."

"Thanks Dobbs."

"No problem. You have someone waiting for you in interview room one."

Santana enters interview room one carrying two Styrofoam cups. She's been dealing with this woman for years now, so she knows that a gentle approach is the best way.

"Hey Carmen, I brought you a nice cup of coffee" Santana says placing the cup on the table in front of the woman.

"I hope it's the good stuff and not that crap from the vending machine."

"Only the best for you Carmen. So first of all, how you holding up?" Santana asks as she takes a seat at the other side of the table, across from Carmen.

"I'm good."

"You staying off the drugs?"

"I've been clean for six weeks."

"Good, just make sure you keep it up. So on to business, we have to thank you. Thanks to your tip off, Kyle Walker is now behind bars. However, we think this is a bigger operation than just a few drug dealers so we need more information."

"I've already put my ass on the line for you" Carmen snaps.

"You're ass would be in jail if it wasn't for me."

"Fine, I'll try, but I'm not endangering myself for you."

"We don't expect you too. Just keep your ear to the ground and if you think you hear something that might interest us then you report it to us immediately."

"I actually heard one of my clients on his cell phone yesterday. He was talking about a shipment that was coming in."

"I need more information than that Carmen" Santana presses.

"He didn't say where, but he did say he'll see the other person tomorrow."

"Come on Carmen is there anything else you remember."

"He mentioned the name Estevez and that's all I know, I promise."

"Was it Tiago Estevez?"

"I don't know he just said Estevez."

"Alright, thanks Carmen. If you have any more information, you call me immediately."

Santana stands up from the table and exits the room; she has a drug dealer to hunt.

At 9am Santana and a few other officers including Dobbs all gather in a meeting room with Captain Matthews to go over the Estevez case.

"Lopez, update us on what we've got" Mathews says, gesturing for Santana to stand at the front of the room.

"Our target is Tiago Estevez" Santana says pointing at the photograph pinned to the whiteboard.

"He's been in our sights for the past couple of months but we haven't been able to get any concrete evidence that would result in his arrest. Reports suggest that he's the main man behind the increase in drugs being supplied in Lima. He supplies the dealers and the dealers supply the people."

"We had some information about a new dealer that's offering a cheaper product, my informant received information that this dealer was Kyle Walker" Santana explains, pointing at the photograph of Walker pinned on the white board.

"We assume there is a connection between Walker and Estevez, but after his arrest Walker wouldn't talk. The informant that told me about Walker told me about a phone call she overheard. There's a shipment of what we can only assume are narcotics being transported at sometime tomorrow. We have no idea exactly when or where but the informant heard Estevez's name mentioned. We have Estevez's home address so I suggest we send a surveillance team to follow him for twenty four hours, where he goes we go and hopefully he'll lead us straight to the drug deal."

"Okay good work Lopez. I'll get a schedule set up as soon as possible for the surveillance teams. When we have any information, we'll alert you immediately. Meeting over" Mathews says.

* * *

After the meeting Santana and Dobb's head out to their police car. As they drive around the streets of Lima, Dobbs notices that is partner is quieter than normal.

"You okay Lopez?"

"I'm fine" Santana replies.

They sit in silence for a few more minutes until Santana decides to speak up.

"When you were dating Maggie, what would you have done if you found out she was married?" she asks.

"Rachel's married?"

"It was hypothetical."

"So hypothetically, is Rachel married?" Dobbs asks with a smirk.

"You're such an ass. I was trying to open up."

"I'm sorry; you know I'm an insensitive asshole. That's why we get along so well, but I did tell you that I was here if you wanted to talk. So tell me what's going on."

"Rachel is married or she was married. They're separated but not legally, so we can't get married until she gets a divorce" Santana explains.

"Why didn't they get divorced?"

"She tried but the guy just disappeared."

"You're a cop; there are procedures we can use to find someone. All you have to do is find the guy and ask him for the divorce and then you and Rachel can get married."

"You make it sound so simple."

"It is simple. I'm surprised you hadn't thought about it yourself."

"I didn't mean that finding the guy was simple. It's the situation; she lied to me for five years. We've talked about past relationships with each other before, we've always been honest with each other and this is a big thing to lie to me about" Santana explains.

"So other than the fact she lied about being married, you guys are completely honest with each other?"

"Of course we are."

"The other week Maggie asked me to visit her family in Miami. I told her that I was working, but I really went to watch the Indians play. A lot of people tell white lies to their partners all of the time, the fact that you and Rachel are so honest with each other shows what a strong relationship you have."

"This wasn't a little white lie though. This was a big lie, a lie that can potentially ruin our future."

"It will only ruin your future if you let it. If you love Rachel and you want to marry her find the guy, get the divorce and marry your girl."

"I thought you were supposed to be an insensitive asshole."

"Well I have my moments" Dobbs smiles.

"Thanks Dobbs. It really helped to talk to someone about this, knowing me I would have done something rash and destroyed my relationship."

"Yeah well I wasn't doing it for you. I just didn't want a mopey partner if you and Rachel broke up."

"The asshole returns."

"It was getting too sentimental and I was getting uncomfortable" Dobbs laughs.

* * *

The unmarked police car pulls up to the curb a few feet away from the suspect's house. The car in front of them turns on its engine and slowly moves away from the place it was parked. It's another unmarked police car that had been watching Tiago Estevez's house, they had been there for a few hours and now it was Officer Clarke and Officer Barnes' job to take over the surveillance.

"I hate stake outs" Clarke states.

"I think they're exciting, you never know what's going to happen and you should always expect the unexpected."

"This guy had been under surveillance for over twenty hours and so far he's been to the seven eleven and to the diner down the street."

"Just be glad that we got the last shift, if something is going to go down it'll be during the next few hours and we'll be in the middle of all the action" Barnes explains.

"So how many of these stakeouts have you been on over the years?"

"I'd say about forty in my thirty years of service. I remember one time we were following a suspect and we saw him go into his house. We watched the house for twelve hours waiting for the warrant to come through so we could arrest him, but by the time we got the warrant and stormed the house we couldn't find him. He just disappeared."

"So what happened?"

"We searched the house and we found a secret room behind a bookcase, it was like something out of a spy movie. We broke through the door and there was the suspect just sat there watching TV."

"Yeah well I hope that isn't the case with this guy" Clarke says.

"I think you're in luck, the suspect is just leaving the house."

They watch as Tiago Estevez gets into his black BMW with tinted windows. He pulls out of the driveway and when he nears the end of the street the officers decide that he's a far enough distance to start tailing him.

They follow a safe distance behind the BMW, they had made it this far and they didn't want to blow their cover now. Estevez stops in a parking lot of a warehouse that looks abandoned. He exits his car and quickly scans the area before entering the building.

They sit and wait for half an hour to see how the situation progresses. Another car appears and out steps a tall man with blonde hair.

"That's Eric Marsden. He's a known drug dealer; he just got out of prison a few months ago. It looks like old habits die hard" Barnes says as he picks up his radio.

"Captain Matthews, this is Officer Barnes. Officer Clarke and I have followed Tiago Estevez to an abandoned warehouse in Lima Heights. We also have a new development; Eric Marsden a repeat offender for supplying has just entered the warehouse. We're sure that this is the location where the exchange is going to happen."

"Good work boys. You two stay in your current location and we'll send back up."

* * *

Santana and Dobbs arrive at the warehouse, but they're not the first there. There are four other police cars surrounding the entrance to the building.

"Lopez! We have the building surrounded, there are three possible exit points and we have two officers stationed at each point. There are three suspects that we know of, Tiago Estevez, Eric Marsden and an unknown male, no one else has entered or exited the warehouse since we've been here."

"Okay, good work Barnes. We'll enter the building through the main entrance only; it'll give us the chance to intercept them if they run towards the other exit points. We go in armed as a precaution; I want all of these guys in custody before the end of the night." Santana explains.

"Dobbs, Barnes and Clarke you'll enter with me, once we're in I want you two to man the main entrance" Santana says to the officers stood next to the police car closest to the warehouse.

Santana pulls out her gun from its holder and turns off the safety.

"Everyone ready?"

The group of officers nod their heads in reply.

"Then let's go."

Dobbs walks over to the door, grabs the handle and waits for Santana's say so. She gives him the nod and he forcefully opens the door. Santana holds her gun out steady as she enters the building, Dobbs following right behind her.

The warehouse was pretty dark, the only light being emitted from a section of lights that are fully functioning. In the middle of the large space is a table that is surrounded by three men.

"LPD. Get down on the floor. Now!" Santana yells.

Dobbs is on her right flank and Barnes on her left. The intrusion in the warehouse surprises the three men, the young unknown male immediately drops to the floor, but Marsden's first instinct is to run. He runs towards the back of the warehouse where there is a fire exit, he opens the door and is greeted by two armed police officers.

"Down on the ground with your hands behind your head" one of the officers tells Marsden.

"We have this place surrounded so there is no point trying to run" Dobbs explains.

"Barnes, you get the kid. Dobbs you take Marsden and I'll deal with Estevez" Santana commands as she walks over to the man she's been searching for, for weeks.

"Alright Tiago, no sudden moves. Put your hands behind your back."

"I'm going to kill Walker" Estevez says as Santana hand cuffs him.

"Okay two things. One, making death threats in front of a cop is never a good idea. Two, Walker didn't sell you out. He's been quite quiet since we locked him up in a jail cell, if you're lucky you might get the one next to him."

"You cops ain't that smart. Someone must have sold me out and I'm going to find out who."

"Well you might have to wait a while because if I get my way you'll spend at least the next five years in a cell."

"Tiago Estevez you're under arrest for the suspicion of possession and the intent to supply. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. However, if you can't afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand?" Santana asks.

"Yes, now when can I speak to my lawyer?"

"You can call him at the station" Santana says as she pulls him off the ground.

"Clarke will you take him to the car, I'm going to take a look around?"

Santana approaches the table in the middle of the room and finds it's scattered with a couple of empty beer bottles.

"It looks like these guys were having a party as well as a drug deal" Santana says to Dobbs as he approaches the table.

"Well I have a lot of experience from gate crashing parties in high school, so I'm happy to gate crash this one."

"I never had to gate crash a party, I was always invited" Santana teases.

"Of course you were, you were a cheerleader! So what've we got here?"

"It looks like it was just a taste test. We got a couple of blocks of powder, possibly cocaine and a bag of marijuana."

"There's a couple of bags of pills here too. It looks like their catering for all needs."

"Walker was supplying pills. Once we've tested these, if they're a match we might be able to connect him to this operation" Santana says.

"Here's hoping. We both know that asshole is connected to this somehow."

"Well Estevez threatened to kill him for being a rat so he's definitely connected, we just need hard evidence to prove it in a court of law" Santana says as a short woman with red hair approaches her.

"Officer Lopez, I'm Wendy Jones and I'm here to collect the evidence."

"Alright, thanks Wendy. Let me know the results as soon as you have them."

"Looks like it's going to be a late one, we better call the wives from the station" Dobbs says.

"Yeah Rachel will get worried If I come home late without telling her, especially after this morning."

"You haven't talked to her at all since this morning?"

"I wasn't ready. I needed more time to think it through before I talked to her" Santana explains.

"Well you're going to get plenty more time if we have to work through the night."

"That's why for now I'm going to focus on the case and deal with my relationship when I get home."

When Santana enters the station she walks over to her desk, picks up the phone and dials Rachel's number. She's waiting for the voicemail to pick up so she's surprised when she hears Rachel answer.

"Oh hey, sorry I was expecting the answering machine. I thought you'd be in bed."

"I am, but I answered when I saw your name."

"We got a break in the case I'm working on so I just wanted to let you know that I will be home late. I probably won't see you until tomorrow."

"Okay well thanks for letting me know, you now how I worry about you" Rachel says.

"I'll be fine it's mostly interviews and paperwork."

"Santana, about this morning."

"Please Rach, I don't want to talk about this now. I promise we'll talk tomorrow though, just know that I love you."

"I love you too Santana."

"Good night" Santana says before putting the phone down.

"Everything okay?" Dobbs asks as he approaches the desk.

"Peachy. How's Maggie?"

"Fine, she just told me not to wake her up when I got home. I doubt she'd have noticed if I wasn't there anyway" Dobbs laughs.

"Okay, I'm gonna need coffee to keep me going through the night."

"Well you know how I like mine."

Santana makes her way over to the coffee station and fills two mugs with steaming hot coffee. She adds one spoonful of sugar to hers and two with a splash of milk into Dobb's mug. She gives them both a quick stir before heading back over to her partner.

"Here, I hope you choke on it" Santana says as she puts the coffee on the desk in front of her partner.

"Thanks."

Just as Santana sits in the chair behind the desk Captain Matthews enters the room.

"Burning the midnight oil?" Matthew's asks.

"We're just waiting for news on the suspects." Santana replies.

"Estevez and Marsden won't talk and the kid is as high as a kite so we can't interview him until tomorrow. Estevez's lawyer is stuck in Boston and Marsden needs a lawyer provided for him and we can't get one down here until tomorrow" Matthews explains.

"So we have to wait until tomorrow to interview them all?" Santana asks.

"It looks that way. I suppose the only advantage is to get some paperwork done and to give the case notes a once over to make sure we're fully prepared for the interviews. I want both of you conducting them bright and early in the morning."

"Yes sir."

"You two have been doing a great job on this case, don't let me down now."

"We won't sir, you can count on us" Dobbs says.

Captain Mathews exits the room, leaving Santana and Dobbs with a desk piled with case files.

"So where do you want to start?" Santana asks.

"Well as we suspected we now know that Kyle Walker was involved in this operation."

"Well Estevez made the threat, but unfortunately it was before I read him his rights so we might have to get him to admit that he said it on tape."

Dobbs nods his head as he reaches for another case file, he chose the one with the photo of their unknown suspect attached to it. He opens the file and quickly scans through the information.

"So our unknown male is Thomas Phelps. He's twenty two and has a previous conviction for burglary when he was eighteen" Dobbs explains.

"So he's moving up in the crime game. Have you found any other connection between Estevez, Marsden, Phelps and Walker?"

"The only cross reference is that Phelps and Walker went to the same high school. They're the same age so it's probable that they were in the same grade."

"That's a good start. We'll have to go over all of these case files to make sure we're properly prepared for tomorrow" Santana says picking up another case file.

She knows she'll need another coffee soon, they're going to be spending at least another two hours going over the evidence they have in preparation for the interviews tomorrow. They had been working on this case for a long time and they might finally get a break.

* * *

Santana quietly makes her way into the apartment, it had been a long day and all she wants to do is get in bed and get some sleep. She sneaks into the bedroom that she shares with Rachel, with her job she has been home late many times so she's perfected a routine that gets her into bed as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Santana gently slips into the bed, but when her head hits the pillow she notices a pair of brown eyes looking at her through the dark.

"I'm sorry; I tried not to wake you."

"I always find it hard to sleep when you're working late" Rachel replies.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault; I just worry because your job is dangerous."

"You know I'll always come home to you."

"Do I?" Rachel asks.

"Yes. I know I freaked out this morning, but I meant what I said on the phone earlier, I love you. I love you so much and that's why I asked you to marry me, we just have an obstacle to get over before we can officially be engaged."

"By obstacle you mean the fact I'm married."

"Yes that. Don't worry, I'll find a way to get you out of that marriage so then you can start a new one with me. Although technically you haven't said yes yet."

"Once my previous marriage is officially over than you can ask me again and find out what my answer will be."

"Well I hope it's a yes after I go through all of that effort."

"Does this mean you forgive me?" Rachel asks hopefully.

"We've always been honest with each other so it hurt me to find out that you had been lying to me since we met. It took a while for me to deal with the situation, but it doesn't change how I feel about you. I don't doubt the trust I have for you so yes, I forgive you."

"I wish we weren't in this mess, I would marry you tomorrow if I could."

"I thought you were supposed to keep me in suspense with your answer?" Santana teases.

"Well unfortunately for me, I wear my heart on my sleeve."

"It's one of the things I love about you, I always know how your feeling."

"We should go to sleep. I have to get up early and you've been working all day. Good night San, I love you."

"I love you too baby" Santana replies.

She brushes her lips against Rachel's in a sweet kiss before they move into their usual sleeping position, with Rachel's back against Santana's chest. Santana is always the big spoon; she thinks it's because of her natural protective instinct. She feels safer having Rachel in her arms just the way Rachel feels safer wrapped in the comfort of Santana.


	3. Chapter 3

o

 **Til Death Do Us Part**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

It's another early morning for Santana, but at least this morning she gets a goodbye kiss from an awake Rachel since she was working the early shift at the diner. She has a bust morning ahead, she had prepared herself as much as she could the night before, and she has to get information out of the suspects if she wanted to make a good case against them in court.

As she enters the station she finds her partner at his desk reading through some case files. As she approaches his desk, he looks up.

"Good morning sunshine. You okay?"

"I'm good, thanks Dobbs. Rachel and I talked last night and I think we're going to be okay."

"That's great San. I'm happy for you."

"So do you know the schedule for the interviews?" Santana asks.

"We'll start with Marsden. Estevez's lawyer isn't here yet and the lawyer we appointed Phelps can only get here at ten."

"Alright, do you want to take the lead?"

"I think you got this one Lopez."

"I've always got it."

"That's because I'm just here to look pretty" Dobbs laughs.

"You're an idiot. Come on, we've got a criminal to interrogate."

Santana picks up the police files that Dobbs was reviewing earlier; she has her own notes with her too. One thing that Santana has learned during her time as a police officer is that you can't be prepared enough.

Santana enters the interview room with Dobbs following behind her. She eyes up the man sitting at the table as she sits across from him. She's only seen him once before and that was the night she arrested him at the warehouse.

"Please state your full name for the record." Dobbs says.

"Eric Marsden."

"So Eric what were you doing at the warehouse in Lima Heights?" Santana asks.

"I was just hanging out with some friends."

"Which friends are you referring to?"

"There were a lot of people there, we were having a party, but lots of people left about an hour before you arrived."

"We had officers sat outside the warehouse long before you arrived so we know that there were only three people that entered the warehouse." Santana informs her suspect.

"Okay fine, it was just me, T and some other kid. I don't remember his name" Marsden admits.

"You're referring to Tiago Estevez and Thomas Phelps." Dobbs presses.

"Yeah, Tom that's his name."

"We found evidence of cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy on a table in the warehouse."

"It ain't mine" Marsden says cutting off Dobbs' question.

"Then whose is it?"

"I don't know."

"Eric since your still on parole, your case is going to be revaluated after your arrest. If you help us out then maybe we can help you out." Dobbs explains.

"I told you, I don't know whose it is, but it ain't mine."

"Eric your previous conviction was for drugs, you've been out of prison for a few months and you've already been arrested on another drug charge. You must have some connection to a supplier."

"I don't know any supplier. T called me and said that he needed someone to help him out and since I got out of prison, it's been hard to get a job and I needed money. I told him I would help him out once and that was tonight." Marsden explains.

"So you have no idea who supplies the drugs to Tiago Estevez?"

"No I promise. If I knew I would tell you, I know that T will throw me under the bus so honestly I would admit it if I knew."

"Okay, we'll put you in the holding cells for tonight. We might talk to you again if we gather any new evidence or if we need more information Thank you Eric."

* * *

Santana was just finishing her lunch when her fellow officer Daniel Clarke appears at the side of her desk.

"Lopez, Dobbs. Thomas Phelps is waiting in interview room three."

"Thanks Dan." Dobbs says, rising from his desk.

"You can take the lead on this one pretty boy." Santana teases, as she walks past her partner and over to the interview rooms.

The first thing she sees as she enters interview room three is a nervous looking man in his early twenties. She takes a seat at the table, with Dobbs copying her movements.

"Please state your full name for the record." Dobbs says.

"Thomas Christopher Phelps, but I didn't do anything I swear."

"Why were you in the warehouse in Lima Heights?" Dobbs asks.

"I'm scared okay, I messed up. If I talk, they'll hurt me."

"Thomas the only way we can shut down this operation is with your help. If you help us then we can help you; we can get you police protection."

"Kyle told me about the deal." Phelps admits.

"Kyle who?" Santana questions.

"Kyle Walker. He said that he had a job for me; he said that I just have to push some weed or pills and I would get cash in hand. I just lost my job and I got bills you know."

"What did Walker tell you about this deal?" Dobbs presses.

"He said that a guy name Estevez could sort me out with some gear. He said that I could trust him because they had worked together before. I have never done anything like this before, I swear, but I was desperate" Phelps explains.

"How long has Walker been working for Estevez?"

"They've been meeting every month for the past year or so. They didn't tell me much just that Estevez's supplier could get anything people demanded."

"Estevez has a supplier?" Santana asks.

"Yeah, he gets the stuff from a supplier and then he hires a couple of guys like me and Kyle to help sell."

"The supplier; what's his name?"

"I don't know, I told you they didn't tell me anything. I just overheard parts of their conversations and I've told you everything I know. I've already put myself in danger with what I've told you, why would I be lying now?"

Santana can tell by the look on Phelps' face that he's telling the truth. He's just a young guy that got caught up in a situation bigger than her realized because he was desperate for money. She's seen this happen many times over her career.

"I know that you've found yourself in a position you didn't expect, but this is why you have to stay away from people like Walker and Marsden or you'll get dragged into something that is way over your head. You've been helpful with the information you've given us and I'll make sure to put that in my report" Santana says.

"Jones, can you please take Mr. Phelps her to the cells?"

Once Phelps is escorted out of the room Dobbs and Santana use the interview room to discus the information they've just been given.

"So Estevez isn't at the top of this drug dealing ladder" Dobbs says.

"No. He's like the manager and Walker and Phelps are his employees. We just need to find the CEO, the guy at the top."

"The puppet master."

"Exactly. It looks like this case is going to be more complicated that we thought. We assumed that Estevez was the supplier and the kids were the dealers and that was it, but if Estevez isn't the top of the chain, then we could be dealing with a drug ring or something bigger. Hopefully we'll get a better picture once we've spoken to Estevez plus I think we should talk to Kyle Walker again too" Santana suggests.

"That's a good idea; he could be helping Estevez recruit new dealers. At least we've made some progress today, we've got three dealers off the street and if we can bring down a whole drug ring that's even better. We'd definitely deserve a medal or something for that."

"Is that all you care about? A shiny new piece of jewelry?" Santana teases.

"I've got to keep the wife interested somehow."

"Well I don't have that problem" Santana smirks.

"You say that now, just wait until your married!" Dobbs laughs.

"Whatever. I'll see you later Dobbs; I've got something to do."

"Alright partner, I'll see you tomorrow."

Santana has been staring at the computer screen for at least an hour, but she hasn't gotten anywhere with her investigation into Rachel's ex-husband. She has been through every search on the police database, but still she found no trace of Nick.

"I'm starting to get frustrated."

"What's troubling you?" Abbey asks.

"I'm looking for someone, but I'm having trouble finding them. I've had no hits on any of the police databases and I even searched the marriage records, but there is no sign of him."

"What's his name?"

"Nick Arnstein."

"Nick Arnstein, like the character from Funny Girl" Abbey says with a laugh.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"Nick Arnstein he's a character from Funny Girl, it's a musical."

"Yeah I know what it is, it's Rachel's favorite."

"That's a coincidence."

"I don't think it is" Santana says getting up from the chair and heading for the door.

"Thanks Abbey" she calls over her shoulder as she exits he room.

Santana can't believe that Rachel lied to her, not after she gave her the chance to be honest and come clean. The thing that bothers Santana the most is the reason why Rachel lied. Was what she was hiding so awful that she couldn't tell her girlfriend?

The other thing that pisses Santana off is the fact that Rachel used a character from her favorite musical. Rachel knew that Santana wouldn't see the connection and that just implied that Santana doesn't pay attention to Rachel's interests.

Which is not true, she has sat through all of Rachel's musicals and she has even watched a few multiple times, but one showing of Funny Girl was enough for Santana, so she hadn't seen it since the first time nearly five years ago.

As Santana drives towards the apartment she shares with Rachel she spends most of her time cursing musicals and Barbara Streisand. At least she knew who the actress was in Funny Girl; Rachel would never let her forget that.

She tries to calm herself as she enters the apartment but when she hears Rachel humming a song from Chicago it just riles her up again.

"Hey baby, how was your day?" Rachel greets as Santana walks into the living room.

"I searched for Nick today."

"Oh, any luck? I had none when I tried to find him years ago, but since you're a police officer you're obviously more qualified."

"I found him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, apparently he lives in New York and has a girlfriend called Fanny, but I guess you knew that didn't you. No wonder you couldn't find him, it's pretty hard to find a person that doesn't exist."

"San..."

"Why did you lie to me?" Santana asks.

"It's complicated."

"Please let's not bullshit anymore, just tell me the truth. Whatever it is can't be as bad as all of the things I'm imagining in my head" Santana says, trying to contain her anger.

"My name isn't Rachel Berry."

"That was definitely not one of the scenarios in my head. What do you mean your name isn't Rachel Berry?"

"My real name is Rachel Jacobi-Jones and I was put in witness protection seven years ago."

"You weren't kidding when you said it was complicated" Santana says taking a seat on the couch, hoping that sitting down would help her get her head around Rachel's confession.

"I know it's a lot to deal with. You're the only person that I've ever told."

"So you've been lying to me the whole time we've been together?" Santana asks.

"I didn't have a choice. The only thing I lied about was my name and the fact that I have been previously married. Everything else about my life I told you was true. I was born in New York to my fathers; Leroy and Hiram. My life growing up all of that was real; I just left out one year when I was Rachel Byrne. I also had to lie about the reason I moved to Lima, but that's it."

"So you really were in the glee club in high school?"

"Yes I was. That's not really something someone would lie about."

"Did you always want to be on Broadway?"

"Yes I did. I went to performing arts college in New York, but left after two years when I got a role in an off Broadway play. I was in the play for two months and then I started auditioning for other roles, but was unsuccessful. I had to get away from New York for a while and I took a break for a year. I've told you this before. What I didn't tell you was what I did in that year."

"You told me you travelled, but instead you were playing house with some guy?"

"I did technically travel, that's where I met him. His name is Patrick Byrne. I met him in London about eight years ago, as I said since I was trying to kick start my musical theatre career and I was getting nowhere on Broadway I decided to try my luck on the West End instead."

"I met him at a bar; I was immediately taken by his Irish accent. He was sweet and I didn't know many people in the city so when he asked me on a date I accepted. I was in London for six months and on the day I was leaving, he proposed. He said he didn't want me to leave and that he wanted us to be together forever. I thought I was in love with him and he loved me so I said yes."

"I had to leave, but we talked to each other on the phone everyday and a month later he surprised me and turned up in New York he told me about a friend that had a job for him and we got married two months later."

"Everything is sounding pretty peachy to me, but you still haven't explained why you're in witness protection" Santana says.

"I'm getting to that part; it comes after we're married. The first month of our marriage was great. We had our honeymoon in Ireland so we could celebrate with his family, everything was perfect. But, as the weeks went on things started to feel different. Patrick was always working late and sometimes he would disappear without a word, but he would always shrug it off as being busy at work.

I managed to get a another part in an off Broadway show so I was at rehearsals during the days and when I would home at night Patrick was never there, I felt we had drifted apart. We hardly ever spent time together so one day I decided to surprise him at work."

"When I walked in, I heard yelling. I could tell it was Patrick by his accent. I was curious about the commotion so I went to see what was wrong, what I didn't expect was to find Patrick standing there pointing a gun at another man."

"He killed him Santana; he shot him right in front of me. The sound of the gunshot made me jump and I unintentionally made a noise, Patrick noticed me. He called my name and started to approach me, the gun was still in his hand so I ran. I didn't know where to go; I was scared to go home. I just started walking around a local park, thinking about what I saw and then I came to the decision to go to the police."

"I testified against him in court, but the case was dropped, there were inconstancies in the evidence. The police put me into witness protection for my safety. I know that I should have told you when you first asked about who I was married to, but I've had to keep this a secret for so long that it was hard for me to talk about it. I'm not actually supposed to talk about it because Patrick is still out there. I know that I can trust you especially because you're a police officer, but I was scared to tell the truth."

"I wish you had told me the truth from the beginning, but I also get why you hid the truth. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that and just so you know, you're safe with me" Santana says placing her hand over Rachel's.

"I know, I think that's what drew me to you in the first place."

"So it wasn't my good looks?"

"Maybe a little bit. I really am sorry for lying to you again."

"I know and an hour ago I was ready to call off the engagement, but hearing your story has put things into perspective. I understand why you lied about your past, hell you had no choice. When you first confessed the first thought that ran through my mind was that I had been living with a stranger for years."

"I promise, everything you know about me is true. I've been through a lot in my life and this is who I am now. I'm Rachel Berry, the Rachel Berry you fell in love with."

"It might take me a while to get used to this new information, but it hasn't changed how I feel about you. I still love you."

"That's good because I love you too" Rachel says, barley managing to contain her smile.

"I know that you said that you are Rachel Berry now, but how do you feel about changing your name again because I think Rachel Lopez has a ring to it."

"I would love nothing more than to become Mrs. Lopez."

"Come here" Santana says, pulling Rachel in for a hug.

Santana wasn't lying when she said that it might take some time to get used to the idea of Rachel's past, but it wasn't the worst news in the world. She can't really blame Rachel for keeping her past to herself; that was the whole point of being in witness protection. Rachel was obviously scared of this man, but at least now she was also under Santana's protection too.

* * *

It's Santana's lunch hour, but she has rejected Dobbs' offer of lunch so she could use this free time to investigate Rachel's ex-husband.

Rachel had explained her story so Santana knew exactly who she was looking for. She had some information on Patrick Byrne from Rachel, but Santana knows that she'll get a clearer picture once she has done her own research on the police computers.

Santana starts by pulling up Patrick's police file. It's the first time that she's seen his face. The photo was taken the last time he was arrested seven years ago, for the crime Rachel turned him in for. Byrne had short blonde hair and blue eyes, his clean shaven face highlighted his dimples. He looked like a member of a nineties boy band and even though Santana had a different preference, she can see why Rachel fell for him.

It's funny how polar opposite he is to herself, maybe that's what Rachel wanted; a completely different start in life and a completely different partner to start it with.

Santana scrolls past Byrne's photo, down to his criminal record. It surprises her that his record is fairly short. His last arrest was for the murder of Stephen Rodgers, the man Rachel saw him kill. Santana opens up the case file; it's filled with notes about the investigation. A lot of the information she already knew from Rachel.

He was arrested for the murder after Rachel had reported the incident. There was a full investigation, Byrne went to court and Rachel testified. That's when the problems started, evidence went missing and witness statements changed. The case fell through and Byrne was allowed to walk free.

The police tried to get a case together to charge Byrne with witness tampering after he threatened Rachel, but there was not enough evidence and because there was no physical interference, the case didn't stand. That's when Rachel was put in to witness protection.

Patrick Byrne's record was clean after Rachel's case against him. Santana has a feeling that it has more to do with him being careful not that he had a change of heart, men like him don't change.

That's what worries Santana the most, he had threatened Rachel once before and he would more than likely do it again. Santana is slightly annoyed that Rachel hadn't mentioned that Byrne had threatened her, but she also knows that she probably did it for her own good. Rachel knows Santana inside and out and she knows how she can react in certain situations. That means Rachel would know that if Santana knew that this man had threatened her fiancé then it would probably have set Santana off into what Rachel likes to call one of her "Rage Moments."

The thought of Rachel reminds Santana of why she is doing this research in the first place; she needs as much information as she can so she can protect Rachel from this man if she needs to.

Byrne's record before the arrest for murder was sporadic, just a few arrests here and there, but no charges were ever brought against him. There were a few cases in Ireland and England, but most were minor crimes that didn't involve any prison sentences. Since she exhausted the police databases Santana's next move is a good old fashioned Google search.

She finds a news article from the Derry Journal, a newspaper from the city Derry in Northern Ireland. It was an article about a man that had been beaten in what the paper referred to as a gang related incident. Byrne was nineteen at the time and had been a suspect in the case as well as four other men, but no charges were brought against them as the injured man refused to press any charges.

Santana was certainly getting a clearer picture of Patrick Byrne now and the more she read, the more worried she became. This man was dangerous and somehow he is able to slip through the law's net quite easily.

* * *

Santana is sat at her desk reading over some witness statements. They were called to a house yesterday morning after a neighbor had called about a domestic disturbance. When they arrived they found a man standing on the front lawn as his wife threw out his belongings out of the bedroom window. According to the wife after ten years of marriage, her husband decided to seek pastures new and had an affair. When his wife found out she went crazy and took her anger out on her husbands' possessions. Santana hopes to god that she and Rachel don't end up like that.

Santana loves her job, but sometimes cases like this make her want to tear her hair out. She's got better things to do with her time than playing peace maker in a marital dispute.

"Hey Santana, Matthews wants everyone working on the Warehouse case to come for a briefing in ten minutes" Officer Clarke says as he approaches her desk.

"Thanks Dan."

Santana enters the briefing room and makes her way over to the empty seat next to Dobbs. As she passes him, she takes the donut out of his hand. She sits on the seat and takes a bite of the sugary snack.

"That was my breakfast."

"This crap is the reason why you can't keep up in a foot chase" Santana says as she tosses the donut in a nearby trash can.

Dobbs is about to reply, but is interrupted by Captain Mathews.

"Listen up, it's been a week since we busted the warehouse and I wanted a quick update from everybody. Lopez, what information did we get from the suspect interviews?"

"Clarke, what have you got for us?"

"We finally got the CCTV footage from the building opposite the warehouse. They have a camera that faces the front door of the warehouse so we scoured through hours of footage to see if there was anything useful. We found a clip of someone entering the warehouse just hours before the bust" Clarke explains as he plays the footage of a white Audi pulling up outside of the warehouse.

A man exits the car and enters the warehouse. He's facing away from the camera and it all happens so fast that it doesn't mount to much useful information.

"He exits the building seven minutes later" Clarke says as he fast forwards the video until the man exits the warehouse again. This time he's facing the camera but the footage is distant.

"I asked Abbey in the lab to try and get us a better view of this part of the footage and he managed to get an enhanced image of the man's face."

The image of the man's face appears on the screen, it isn't perfect but the man's face can be clearly seen.

"We think that this man could be involved in the drug ring so we need to find out who he is, so we can speak to him."

Santana is still in shock at seeing the man's face, the face she was analyzing just yesterday.

"That's my fiancée's ex-husband."

"Santana, you know this man?" Mathews asks.

"Yes sir. I was researching him just yesterday. I have a file on him in my desk."

"Please get the file, any information on this man could be useful."

Santana exits the meeting room and returns just a few minutes later with a file in her hand.

"His name is Patrick Byrne, he's thirty years old and is from Derry in Northern Ireland." Santana explains as she pins a photo of Byrne on the whiteboard.

"He has a record that includes multiple arrests for multiple violent crimes, including one for murder but he hasn't been charged for any of the offences."

"When was his last arrest?"

"It was seven years ago. It was an arrest for murder, his case went to trail, but he was never convicted because of an inconstancy with the evidence."

"Okay, thanks Santana. We need to bring this guy in for questioning so Tom and Alan, I want you two on that. That's it for the meeting, thank you everyone."

"Santana can I speak to you for a moment?" Matthews asks.

"Yes sir."

"You said something before you revealed Patrick Byrne's identity; something regarding your fiancée."

"She was married to Patrick Byrne, we'll technically she still is married to him."

"Santana if you have a personal connection you know you can't work the case" Matthews explains.

"I know but Byrne is only a person of interest at the moment, he's not a suspect."

"This is a big case Santana and if you could jeopardize a result if Byrne is involved, then you can't be on the case. You mentioned that his last case had inconsistencies in evidence, we can't risk anything like that with this case."

"I understand that Captain but.."

"Don't make me suspend you as a precaution."

"That won't be necessary sir, just keep me updated, but if we clear Byrne from the investigation that means I can work the case again right?"

"Right and I'll find another case for you to work on in the meantime."


	4. Chapter 4

o

 **Til Death Do Us Part**

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

Santana had barely slept last night. She couldn't stop thinking about Patrick Byrne, it's even affecting her work at the moment as she struggles to concentrate on the paper work in front of her.

She can't believe that the man she's been looking for is now possibly involved in her investigation. She hasn't told Rachel about her new discovery, she didn't want her to worry about Byrne being in Lima. Hopefully by the time Santana tells her that Byrne is in Lima she can also tell her that he's behind bars.

"Patrick Byrne is here for questioning" Dobbs says as he approaches her desk.

"Okay, just give me a second to finish this."

"Santana if Patrick Byrne is involved in this case you know that means you can't be. You're dating his ex-wife which means you're personally connected. I just came to inform you, so that you knew what was going on" Dobbs explains.

"Dobbs this guy can hurt Rachel, you know I need to help."

"The best way you can help Rachel now is by not being on the case. You could compromise evidence if his defense find out you're connected by Rachel. I know that you know this too."

"Of course I do. Matthews talked to me yesterday too, he said that I'm off the case" Santana says in defeat.

"Then why are you being so difficult?" Dobbs asks with a hint of a smile.

"I'm just worried okay and I don't know what I can do to help."

"I'm conducting the interview so I'll keep you posted. I know how important this is to you."

"Thanks, can you do me a favor and at least let me watch the interview?"

"Fine, I'll try and get you a copy of the tape afterwards, but you can't be anywhere near the room at all. You got me?" Dobbs asks.

"You do realize that you're not my boss?" Santana asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I know but I am your friend."

As much as Santana likes to tease Dobbs she knows that he is only looking out for her.

"Thanks Dobbs, just make sure you get that son of a bitch" Santana calls to her departing partner.

Dobbs walks into the interview room and sits across the desk from Patrick Byrne.

"So Patrick, what brings you to Lima?"

"Just visiting a friend who moved here a few months ago."

"Where are you residing now?"

"I live in L.A. It took a while to get used to the climate, but I've adjusted. Please detective cut the small talk and tell me why I'm here."

"Mr. Byrne we have video footage of you entering an warehouse in Lima Heights last night can you explain what you were doing there?" Dobbs asks.

"I saw that the warehouse was for sale and I thought that it could be the perfect place for a new showroom. I own a chain of used car dealerships."

"So you went to check out this location at midnight? That's a bit late for a viewing."

"I'll admit that it wasn't an official viewing. It was spontaneous. I was passing when I saw the for sale sign and I thought just that I might as well check it out. I was in there for ten minutes at the most. I thought the property had potential so I called the realtor the next day and told him I was interested. I'm supposed to meet him today to discuss it" Byrne explains.

Dobbs looks towards the one way mirror and nods slightly, he knows that another officer will now be going to check out Byrne's story.

"Unfortunately I think the sale of the warehouse will be postponed as it's currently under investigation after it's been used for drug trafficking."

"Thanks for the information, maybe I can use it to get the sale price knocked down."

"You can joke all you like Mr. Byrne, but you were at a crime scene just hours before there was a drugs bust there. It's no secret that you have a colorful past with the law."

"That's all behind me now. I told you I own used car dealerships, I've worked hard to get where I am. It's pure coincidence that I was at that warehouse. I'm just glad that I didn't arrive any later otherwise I might have run into these criminals."

"I'm sure you could have handled yourself Mr. Byrne" Dobbs says as he lays our three photographs on the table.

"Do you recognize any of these men?"

Byrne leans over the table and studies the photographs for a few seconds before returning to his original position in the chair.

"I'm sorry detective, I've never seen any of these men before. I wish I could be more help."

The door of the interview opens and in walks Officer Clarke. He walks over to Dobbs and places a file on the desk and whispers in the other officer's ear.

"Thanks Clarke."

Clarke nods at Dobbs before exiting the room.

"I'm guessing that was confirmation that my story checks out. I came here out of good will but if you're not charging me with anything then I must go. I have an appointment with my realtor."

"You're free to leave" Dobbs says reluctantly.

"Thank you. Good luck with the case Detective."

* * *

Santana has been staring at the file in front of her for nearly half an hour now. She can't concentrate, not with a man who could potentially harm Rachel sitting in a room a few feet away from her. It's killing her not knowing what he's saying or whether Dobbs is getting any evidence against him. She wishes that she could have some involvement, but she knows that Dobbs was right earlier, if her involvement could jeopardize the case then she's better off staying away.

A mistrial is what lead them into this situation in the first place, she doesn't want history to repeat itself. The sound of a door opening makes Santana lift her head from the file she couldn't concentrate on. It's the first time she's seen him face to face, exiting the room was Patrick Byrne.

Santana eyes up her fiancee's ex, her police instincts automatically profiling him. He wasn't very tall, maybe five foot seven. His short blonde hair styled perfectly on his head with just a hint of stubble on his chin. She can see why Rachel fell for this guy, even she could tell a good looking man when she saw one.

He looked so normal that if it wasn't for years on the force it would be hard to think that this man could be capable of the things he's been alleged to. One of the first things you learn in policing is that sometimes the perpetrator is the least person you'd expect so expect everyone.

He walks with a sense of self assurance and an air of cockiness about him. Santana immediately dislikes the man. She dislikes him even more when he approaches her desk with a smug look on his face. It looks as if he's about to walk straight past Santana until he suddenly stops in front of her.

Santana follows his line of sight and notices that he's looking at the photograph of her and Rachel that's sat on her desk.

"That's a lovely photo, Detective Lopez" he says.

Santana's body immediately stiffens, with those words it's like he's giving her a message; "I know you're close to Rachel and I know who you are" and it terrifies her.  
Santana doesn't say anything and neither does Byrne, he just exits the station with even more confidence than when he came in. Santana stays frozen at her desk until she sees Dobbs exiting the interview room. She jumps to her feet and rushes over to her fellow officer.

"Dobbs why is he leaving? What happened in there?" Santana asks hurriedly.

"I told you I'd get you the footage of the interview."

"I don't have time, just give me the cliff note version."

"You don't have to worry, he's just visiting Lima he lives in L.A. He said that he was at the warehouse because he is interested in buying it. We called the agency selling it and they confirm that they had arranged a meeting with Byrne."

"That still doesn't mean that he isn't involved. He's just very good at covering his tracks" Santana argues.

"I know but there was no evidence to suggest that he is connected with the drug bust. We didn't even have enough evidence to bring him in for questioning, he volunteered to speak with us. We had no authority to hold him so that meant that he could leave."

"You need to find something to connect him to the case or evidence to connect him to any case."

"Santana, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"As Byrne was leaving he walked past my desk and saw the photo of Rachel and I. He knows I know her, he knows who I am and he must have worked out that she lives here in Lima" Santana explains.

"Okay, calm down San. We'll figure something out, don't worry. You said that Rachel is under witness protection right? So why don't you just call them and tell them that Rachel's identity might have been compromised."

"That's a good idea, thanks Dobbs. I'm sorry my head isn't working properly at the moment."

"Don't mention it. Don't worry, Rachel will be fine. We've put him under surveillance too" Dobbs says before patting Santana on the shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"I'll leave you to make the call."

As soon as Dobbs leaves Santana sits at her desk and picks up the phone. She finds the number she is looking for on the computer and dials it.

"Hello this is Detective Lopez, badge number 135. I need to speak to someone regarding a possible compromised identity."

"Of course Detective, can I please have the clients reference number so I can notify the correct personnel."

Santana digs through her desk drawer for the copy of the file that contains the information of Rachel's witness protection case.

"RF1905"

"Thank you. I'll put you through to the case worker who was involved with this case."

"William Myers speaking, how can I help you?"

"This is Detective Lopez of Lima police department. We're working on a case that could involve Patrick Byrne. It's come to our attention that Mr Byrne has possible information about the whereabouts of his ex-wife Rachel Berry previously known as Rachel Jacobi-Jones or Rachel Byrne and I thought it would be best to notify you on this development."

"Thank you for the information Detective Lopez, we'll pass the information on in regards to possibly extract Miss Berry from her current situation. We'll send someone to also talk to you about the case regarding Patrick Byrne, you should hear from us in a few days."

"A few days? Shouldn't you be sending someone to protect as soon as possible Rachel just in case."

"I'm sorry Detective, we can't discuss our cases in detail with anyone including the police. Just be rest assured that we'll make this matter a priority. Once again thank you for the information Detective Lopez."

As soon as the line goes dead Santana presses the end call button and calls a number she knows off by heart.

"Hello Pete's Diner, Rachel Berry speaking."

"Hey, it's me. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine sweetie, are you? You sound worried."

"I'm just under a lot of pressure with a case that's all, it's nothing for you to worry about. I was just checking in since I missed you this morning" Santana says.

"Okay well don't over work yourself. There's an order up so I have to go. I love you."

"I love you too" Santana says before putting down the phone.

"Everything good?" Dobbs asks.

"Yeah the witness protection people are going to look into it and I just called Rachel she's at work."

"Good. I spoke to Captain Matthews he said that you can work the case again since we have no evidence to connect Byrne to it. So I thought that we'd jump straight into it, I've asked for Kyle Walker to be brought here for questioning. Are you up to it?"

"Of course. I'm right behind you partner."

Santana leaves her desks and follows her partner over to the interview rooms. As they reach the door, Dobbs opens it for her and gestures for him to go first. Usually she would make a joke about being a gentleman, but they have a suspect just feet away from them and she needs her game face on.

"Well I can't say that it's a pleasure to see you again Kyle" Santana says as she sits at the interview table.

"I thought I answered all of your questions?"

"You did at the time. We now have some new evidence that we'd like to talk to you about."

"Please state your name for the record."

"Kyle Walker."

"Do you know this man?" Dobbs asks.

"No."

"His name is Thomas Phelps and he went to your high school, you were in the same grade."

"I went to big high school, I don't know everyone there."

"So if I asked around or looked at a year book from your time at the school, you're saying I won't find any evidence that proves you and Phelps were friends in high school."

"Okay fine, I knew him but I haven't heard from him since high school."

"Your phone records contradict that statement. You are looking at a prison sentence here Kyle, the more cooperative you are, the more lenient the judge will be."

"I saw Tom last week, we just hung out that's all."

"Did you tell Tom about the drugs you deal?"

"He asked where I was getting my money from. I told him that I did a few jobs for someone and that I could hook him up if he wanted" Walker explains.

"Tom took you up on this offer?"

"Yes. I gave him the address of a warehouse and told him to meet someone there."

"The person you told him to meet, was this your supplier?" Santana asks.

"Yes."

"What is his name?"

"I can't tell you, he'll hurt me."

"Kyle, Tom Phelps was arrested yesterday with two other men. We already have evidence to prosecute but anything else you tell us can add to the case. If you know who he was meeting and he was the supplier then he can't hurt you as he is in custody" Dobbs explains.

"We just need a name" Santana adds.

"Estevez, Tiago Estevez."

"Thank you Kyle."

"Now, what do you know about Estevez?" Santana asks.

"Not much. I met him at a party, he was selling pills. He said that if I sold what he had he'd give me fifty bucks. I took him up on that offer and when I gave him his money, he offered me more work."

"Do you know who supplies Estevez?"

"No. He's never mentioned a supplier, he doesn't really talk to me. He just gives me the merchandise and leaves."

"Okay, I think we have enough for now. Interview over at 2:29 pm.

* * *

Santana and Dobbs have been working on the increased drug problem in Lima for months. They had spent that time looking for possible causes and just over a month ago they got a lead on a man named Tiago Estevez.

It has taken them weeks to finally get the man into custody and Santana is eager to talk to the man she has been hunting.

"Tiago, it's nice to finally meet you. We've been looking for you for a while" Santana says as she enters the interview room and takes a seat.

"Well I've been around."

"Allusively it seems."

"Tiago you have been arrested for the possession of drugs with the intent to supply. We suspect that you're a part of a drug ring, what we need to find out is what your part in it is" Dobbs explains.

"A drug ring? I know nothing about a drug ring."

"We have information that states you have been supplying drugs to sellers, but we also have information that suggests that you are just a middle man. You receive the drugs and disperse them to your sellers; we want to know who your supplier is."

"Tiago you don't have to answer that. There is no evidence that proves my client is connected to any drug ring. He is here to talk about the drug charges only, nothing else" Mr. Powell, Estevez's lawyer intervenes.

"We are just trying to gather as much information as possible. If your client has anything to tell us that can not only help us, but can also rule him out of our investigation then that's all we're asking for" Santana explains.

"I don't know who the guy is, all I know is that he goes by the name The Saint. I just do what he asks, the stuff just gets delivered to the warehouse and then I distribute it."

"How did you become a part of this arrangement?" Santana asks.

"I was selling on the street when two guys came up to me and told me that I was selling on their turf. They gave me the choice to stop selling completely or to start selling for them and take a percentage. I was desperate for money so I took them up on the offer."

"Do you have any contact with The Saint?" Dobbs questions.

"I have a cell phone number, he texts me with the drop dates."

"Do you have the number?"

"It's on my cell, you took it off me when you searched me" Estevez says.

"Okay. What else do you know about the seller?"

"I told you, I don't know anything about the guy."

"What do you know about these three men?" Dobbs asks as he slides three photos across the table.

"That's Eric, Kyle and Tommy they are dealers."

"What were you doing at the warehouse?"

"Eric and Tommy were there to pick up their products."

"What kind of products?" Santana asks.

"Drugs obviously. A bit of weed, some pills maybe some harder stuff. I'd give them a few bags of each and then they had to bring me their profits at the end of every week."

"How did you transfer the profits to the supplier?"

"There is a safe in the warehouse. I would put the money in there and then I guess the supplier or an associate of his would collect it."

"Is there anymore information you think might help with our investigation?" Dobbs inquires.

"I don't know."

"I think my client has helped you in good faith and to as much as his ability as possible. I think that should be taken into account if any charges come into play" Mr. Powell says.

"I'll keep that in mind. Interview terminated at 4:51pm"

"Jones can you take Mr. Estevez back to his holding cell, thanks. Mr. Powell you're free to leave too."

Once the room is cleared, Dobbs turns to his partner.

"So the drug money is all in cash, I guess that's a good way to stop us tracing a large amount of money changing hands."

"If Estevez leaves the money in the safe and the supplier collects it then that could be the reason why Byrne was at the warehouse. Byrne could be the supplier or at least work for him" Santana says.

"You do realize that there isn't any evidence to prove that, people will think you're just reaching. It's like you're trying to connect Byrne to the case just because you want him convicted. You want him convicted because you see him as a threat to Rachel."

"You know that my instincts are good."

"They are sometimes, but I also know that sometimes your heart rules your head when it comes to Rachel" Dobbs says.

"I wouldn't let that happen when it comes to my duty as a police officer. Why are you so against the idea of Byrne being involved?"

"I'm not. Look I wasn't saying it to be an asshole, I was just saying what Mathews or a judge would say. If you think Byrne is really involved you'll need more evidence, but you know you can't be involved in that. I'll try and help you as much as I can" Dobbs offers.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to go off at you."

"It's alright. I'm used to your flaring temper; it makes me question how Rachel puts up with you."

"Trust me Rachel can rival my temper with her diva tantrums, but we just know how each other function and that works for us."

"Then that sets you up for a really happy marriage. Well since our shift is finally over you can finally go home to that little diva of yours."

"After today I can't wait to get home and see her. Do you still feel that way about going home to Maggie?" Santana asks.

"Usually I get home, grab some chips, open up a beer and put ESPN on the TV. She always comes in and yells me to get my feet off the coffee table and not to eat snacks before dinner. So yeah I look forward to that every day, we're the same we just get how each other work." Dobbs says with a big smile on his face.

"I'm going home before I see anymore of this mushy side of you; it's actually starting to freak me out."

"Don't go yet; I haven't expressed how much your friendship means to me" Dobbs yells through laughter as Santana exits the station, flipping him off as she goes.

* * *

It had been a really long day for Santana, all she wanted to do is get in bed with her fiancée and relax. Santana knows that isn't about to happen when she approaches her apartment door and finds it slightly open.

It obviously wasn't left open by accident by Rachel or herself, she's a police officer she checks that she's locks the door automatically and she had taught Rachel the same. She gently pushes the door open and gets the first look at the damage to her apartment. It looks as if the place had been ransacked.

"This is the Lima police department, show yourself" Santana yells as she takes a small step into her home.

She listens for any noise in the apartment, but receives silence in return. She reaches for her gun that's nestled in her hip holster, removes it slowly and turns off the safety.

Rachel has never liked the idea of guns in the house but being a detective Santana always carried a weapon for safety. She was definitely glad that she had the added protection at the moment as she moves slowly into the living room, her gun leading the way.

"Is there anyone here?" Santana calls.

The room had been trashed from top to bottom, Rachel's favorite lamp which she brought from her old apartment when she moved in with Santana lay broken on the side table.

The floor was scattered with cushions, books and all the little knick knacks Rachel had insisted on putting around the place, stating it gave their home character.

Santana makes her way through the living room, as she does she hears a crunch beneath her foot. She looks down and sees that she's stood on the broken glass of a picture frame. She picks up the frame and notices that the photograph from it is missing.

It was a photo of her and Rachel that was taken at Dobbs and Maggie's anniversary party. It was a favourite of Santana's and that's why it had pride of place in their living room but now it was gone. Whoever did this had taken the photograph.

"Rachel!" she calls again.

Santana knows Rachel's shift for tonight and she should have been home hours ago, usually she would call Santana if her plans or her shifts changed. Santana quickly pulls out her cell phone from her pocket and dials Rachel's number. It rings for a few seconds, the longer it rings the more Santana begins to worry. She just needs to hear her fiancée's voice to calm her nerves and reassure her.

"Come on Rachel, pick up" Santana says down the phone as it continues to ring.

"Please baby, pick up."


	5. Chapter 5

o

 **Til Death Do Us Part**

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

The phone connects, but Santana is only greeted by Rachel's cheery voice on her voicemail. Santana quickly disconnects the call and redials her fiancée's number, her heart beating with every ring of the phone.

"Hey babe" Rachel finally greets, earning a sigh of relief from Santana.

"Rachel, thank god. Where are you?"

"I'm at the grocery store, I wanted to make Pad Thai for dinner, but we didn't have any rice noodles."

"I need you to stay there okay. Which store are you at? I'm coming to get you."

"I'm on the one on 48th street. Santana, what's going on?" Rachel asks concern evident in her voice.

"I'll explain when I see you. Just stay in the store, don't leave and make sure you stay close to other people. I'll be there as soon as I can. Just stay safe."

Santana pockets her cell phone and grabs a jacket off the coat rack; it had a deep inside pocket perfect for hiding her gun. She turns on the safety and places the weapon in its hiding place where it's secure and hopefully unnoticeable.

She decides that she doesn't need anything else so she grabs her car keys and heads out of the door. It takes Santana fifteen minutes to get to the grocery store. As she arrives she finds Rachel waiting for her outside near the door. Santana quickly exits her car and makes a beeline for her fiancée.

"I thought I told you to stay inside."

"I know but I had already paid and I didn't want to get in the way. I stayed close to the door, near lots of people and near the security guard. His name is Bruce, we had a lovely talk. I know when you're serious Santana and I made sure I kept myself safe."

"I'm sorry, I was just worried. Come on, let's get in the car."

Santana takes Rachel's hand, making sure she keeps close to her side. She walks her over to the car and helps Rachel get into the passenger seat before making her way to the drivers seat.

"Has anyone approached you today?" Santana asks as she locks the door.

"No one except my work colleagues, customers and an over helpful store clerk."

"You haven't seen anyone following you or acting suspicious."

"Santana please tell me what is going on. You're staring to scare me."

"I'm sorry; I didn't meant to scare you. Patrick Byrne knows that you're in Lima."

"What? How?"

"He came into the station today because we needed to ask him some questions about a case we're working on. As he was leaving he saw the photograph of us on my desk."

"Still that doesn't mean he knows where I am."

"When I came home tonight the apartment had been broken into. They had gone through everything; the whole apartment was a mess. The photo we took at Dobb's anniversary party was missing. That's why I sounded panicked when I called you earlier; I was so scared when you weren't there. I thought he had done something to you."

"Hey, you don't need to think about that anymore. I'm right here and I'm okay" Rachel says cupping Santana's face. She leans in and places a gentle kiss on her fiancée's lips.

"So what happens now?"

"I'm not sure. I'm just trying to find us somewhere safe, we can't go back to the apartment. Maybe we should just drive for a while and get as far away from Lima as we can. If we come across a motel somewhere we can stay there for the night. That'll give me a chance to figure everything out."

As they drive Rachel can see the mix of worry and concentration on Santana's face so she decides to try and distract her fiancée.

"Two police officers came into the diner today, one was a man and the other was a woman. The male officer asked for a doughnut and it reminded me of the first time I met you. You came into the diner with Neil and ordered a strong coffee and a slice of cherry pie. Neil asked if we sold doughnuts and you made a joke about how not all were cops were stereotypical and liked doughnuts. You made me laugh a lot that day; I kept finding excuses to come over to your table."

"I kept trying to find ways to get you to come back too; I drank so much coffee that day because of all the refills. You know after that day I kept making up reasons so I could go back to the diner every week. Dobbs soon worked out why and he wouldn't stop teasing me about having a crush on the waitress."

"I used to look forward to the next time you came in. I was so surprised when you finally asked me out on a date."

"Why were you surprised?"

"You're a very good looking woman that also happens to be a detective and I was just some waitress at a diner."

"That's not true, well I mean the part about me being good looking cop is" Santana says with a smirk, causing Rachel to laugh.

"You're not just a waitress; your job doesn't define who you are. You're beautiful inside and out, you're also strong. You've been through so much in your life, but you haven't let anything get to you and I admire that about you."

"You're also very charming, no wonder I fell for you" Rachel says.

The tension from earlier had been lifted and that was all Rachel wanted, she knows that Santana deals with situations like this as a police officer, but sometimes Santana's heart tends to rule her head when people she loves are involved.

She just wanted Santana to relax a little and that way she can focus better. She also wanted to distress a little too, she had been at the diner since five o'clock this morning and had to cover the shift of her friend Amy who couldn't find a baby sitter, and so she had been working for over twelve hours straight.

An hour and a half later Santana notices that Rachel is falling asleep in the seat next to her. Santana feels the tiredness creeping up on her too, it had been a long day for both of them. She decides that she'll pull up at the next motel she sees, they haven't been driving very long, but at lest they should be away from where Byrne could find them.

About a mile up the road Santana can see the lights of a motel, she pulls into the parking lot and thankfully the place looks decent enough for them to sleep the night. Noticing that Rachel has fallen asleep Santana leaves her fiancée in the car as she checks them into a room for the night.

The man on reception is a cheery elderly man that doesn't give Santana a bad vibe so she happily hands over cash and accepts the room key. Santana returns to the car and gently opens the passenger door so not to startled Rachel awake.

"Rachel, wake up" Santana whispers as she strokes Rachel's face.

Rachel slowly opens her eyes and smiles when she sees Santana standing in front of her.

"We're at a motel, I got us a room for the night" Santana explains as she helps the sleepy girl out of the car.

They didn't have any luggage with them since Santana exited the house so quickly when she thought Rachel was in danger so they walk hand in hand towards their room. When they reach the door Rachel opens it to reveal a dimply lit room.

"I'm sorry it's not much" Santana says as Rachel looks around the room.

"Don't worry; you can just make it up to me with the hotel for our honeymoon."

"Oh yeah and where will this hotel be located?" Santana asks as she removes her jacket and throws it on the chair in the corner.

She takes her gun from the back of her jeans and puts it on the bedside table. She then sits on the bed, with her feet up and her back against the headboard.

"I'm thinking Tahiti" Rachel replies as she joins Santana on the bed, resting her head on the other girl's chest.

"I work my ass off to buy your engagement ring and now you want me to take you to Tahiti?" Santana jokes as she wraps her arm around Rachel's waist.

"The Bahamas would suffice."

"Okay, I can work with that. So is it just our honeymoon you've been thinking about or have you started planning our wedding too?"

"Santana you proposed just a week ago."

"So you haven't thought about it?" Santana asks.

"Of course I have! I want a relatively small wedding with just family and friends. I'm excited to plan our wedding. When I married Patrick, I didn't get to plan anything. His mother did it all, we married in Ireland so all the guests were his family and friends, my parents weren't even there."

"Well don't worry, you can plan every single detail of our wedding and of course your parents will be there to walk you down the aisle."

"Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky to have met you."

"I think the same thing too" Santana smiles and kisses Rachel on the lips.

"I'm glad that I have you here to protect me" Rachel says, feeling safe and secure wrapped in Santana's tight embrace.

"I'll never let anything happen to you" Santana promises.

"Have you thought more about what we're going to do?"

"I can try and call the witness protection services again and see what they can do. I need the information though so I'm going to call Dobbs."

Santana retrieves her cell phone from her pocket and dials her partner's number.

"Hello" Dobbs answers groggily. Santana hopes that she didn't disturb him sleeping.

"Hey Dobbs, I'm sorry it's late."

"It doesn't matter. It must be important if you called."

"Someone broke into my apartment, they trashed everything. I think Patrick Byrne found out where we live."

"I would suggest that it could be a coincidence, but I trust your instincts."

"A photograph of Rachel and I was stolen, who else would take something like that? I went on those instincts and I found Rachel and got us away from Lima."

"Where are you?"

"At a motel in Vinton"

"I'll come to you."

"You don't have to do that Dobbs. I just need the information for the witness protection people."

"I'll get you the information but the office won't be open until the morning. I'm still going to come and meet you. If Byrne is out there, I'd feel a lot better knowing you have some extra protection. God knows the crazy people he has working for him."

"Okay, thanks Dobbs. We're at the College Hill Motel."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, be safe partner."

Once the line goes dead, Santana locks her phone and puts it on the bedside table next to her gun. She wraps her arms back around Rachel and holds her close. She would do everything she can to protect the girl in her arms.

* * *

Santana is woken by a knocking on the door. They must have fallen asleep wrapped in the comfort of each others arms. Santana checks the clock on the bed side table, it's a little after eleven at night.

"That'll be Dobbs" Santana says untangling herself from a stirring Rachel and getting off the bed.

She walks over to the door and checks the peephole as a precaution, there standing on the other side was her friend and partner Dobbs. She unlocks the door and takes off the security chain before opening the door fully to let Dobbs in.

He quickly slips into the room allowing Santana to close and re lock the door behind him.

"How're you holding up?" Dobbs asks.

"We're okay under the circumstances I suppose Neil" Rachel replies as she gets off the bed.

"Thanks for coming Dobbs. I'm sorry you had to drive all the way out here at this time."

"Don't worry about it. We're partners, we always have each other's back remember."

"We really so appreciate it" Rachel says.

"Have you called anyone else?"

"No. I just wanted to get Rachel out of Lima as soon as possible. Someone broke into the apartment only hours after Byrne was at the station."

"He works quickly."

"How did he know where I live? I know some people think he has connections in the police force but we're a small squad here in Lima."

"It might have been easy for him to ask about you, you're well known around Lima. I think you should call Captain Matthews he might be able to get you some protection."

"Santana, I think someone is here. I heard a car door and so I thought I'd take a look and I saw three men exit a car" Rachel says.

"Do you recognize any of them?" Dobbs asks.

"Yes, one. I've met him a few times. His name is Donald Bennett, he's Patrick's best friend. He's the short one with dark hair."

Santana walks over to the window and peers carefully out of the blinds. She see's two men standing by the side of the car. There's a tall red headed male with a thick beard, he's leaning against the diver's side door while the shorter man with near black hair starts to walk away from the car and in the direction of the reception.

"How did they know we where here?" Santana says as she moves away from the window.

Realization flashes across Santana's faces and she reaches for her gun and holds it out, pointing at her partner.

"Santana" Rachel gasps.

"You're the only person I called" Santana says to Dobbs, hand firmly clutched on the gun pointing at his chest.

"Do you really think I'd do that to you?"

"How else could they know where we are?"

"They could have hacked your phone or put a tracker on your car, maybe they followed you from your apartment. I don't know but it wasn't me, I would never do that to you. Santana, I promise you..."

Dobbs' sentence is cut short when he feels a sharp pain in his back. Santana watches as her friend stumbles to the floor as a blood pool forms around a small bullet hole just below his shoulder blade.

"Dobbs!" Santana yells rushing over to her partner and bending down next to him. Santana looks towards the window and see's the small bullet hole that has pierced the glass.

"You need to go" Dobbs says gaining Santana's attention. She can tell that he's in a lot of pain

"I can't leave you."

"You have to. Take my keys, just in case they did put a tracker on your car" Dobbs says reaching into his pocket, pulling out his car keys and handing them to Santana.

"Dobbs..."

"Just go. Keep yourself and your girl alive."

"Thank you. Rachel let's go."

"Santana, we can't just leave him."

"We have to, come on this way" Santana says grabbing Rachel's hand and pulling her over to the bathroom.

Santana opens the window in the bathroom and quickly climbs through it. It was only a short drop, she had requested a ground floor room for this very purpose; the need for a quick exit.

When her feet are firmly on the ground, she opens up her arms and reaches for Rachel so she can help her girlfriend climb safely out of the window. Santana take Rachel's hand once more and pulls her close to her side. They were at the back of the motel and Dobbs had parked his car on the parking lot at the side of the building.

"We need to move quickly but quietly, okay?" Santana whispers, earning a nod from Rachel in reply.

They follow the wall of the motel until it comes to an end. Santana carefully peers around the wall so she can survey her surroundings. She spots Dobbs' car parked in the lot and luckily or by some great planning from her partner, it was close to the back of the motel.

She can't see Byrne's men, they must have focused their attention on the motel room. Santana knows they must hurry, the more time they take, the more chance Byrne's men have at getting to Dobbs.

"Are you ready to run?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Just head straight to the passenger door and get in as quickly as possible. Okay, let's go."

Santana runs towards Dobbs' silver Mercedes as fast as she can, unlocking it with the transponder key. She throws open the driver's door and jumps in the car, slamming the door behind her. Rachel isn't far behind her, Santana is shoving the key into the ignition as Rachel shuts the passenger door.

Santana backs out of the parking space and drives towards the road, she rolls down the window and makes sure to rev the engine a few times, gaining the attention of Byrne's men outside of the motel.

She gives them a cold look when they turn their heads to look at the car, they keep eye contact for a few seconds before Santana puts her foot on the gas and drives out of the parking lot.

"What was that about?" Rachel asks.

"I wanted them to know that we weren't in the motel room. I didn't want them to find Dobbs in there."

"We shouldn't have left him."

"I know it seemed heartless, but Dobbs and I have been partners for years. We know each other and we always have each other's back. We made a pact to keep each other safe and I knew that when he told me to leave then that's what I should do. I would have done the same in his situation."

"I just hope he's okay."

Santana doesn't respond to Rachel's comment, she's too focused on the car that is following behind them. It seems to be gaining speed, she's hoping that it's just some idiot that likes to speed down desolate roads so she keeps her speed normal, allowing the car to overtake them if it wanted.

The car behind increases it's speed and gets closer. It goes to over take Santana, but instead of driving past it drives along the side of her. Santana turns to look out of her window and comes face to face with a smirking Patrick Byrne.

Santana slams her foot on the gas. She's a train police officer, she knows how to handle a car chase, however, usually she's the one doing the chasing, not the other way around. She manages to put a bit of distance between the two cars, but it doesn't last long as Byrne gains on them again.

Dobb's car jolts forward as it feels the impact from behind. Santana watches through the rear view mirror as Byrne falls behind for a few seconds before gaining speed and ramming into the car again.

"Santana he's going to run us of the road."

"Don't worry, okay. I got this."

Santana hopes that her words came out as confidant as she wanted them too, she doesn't want Rachel to panic because she needs to concentrate and she can't do that if Rachel's panicking.

There's a turn ahead up on the road, hopefully this can be a chance to lose Byrne. Santana steps on the gas and accelerates, as the turn gets nearer she prepares herself for the move she's going to have to pull off.

They approach the turn at full speed, Santana waits until the last minute before turning the steering wheel. As the car turns Byrne takes this as an opportunity to run them off the road. He plows at full speed into the tail of Dobbs' car.

The force of the impact causes both cars to skid on the road, Byrne's travels a few feet before rolling into the ditch at the side of the road. Santana can't keep control on the wheel as the car skids, the force of the hit was so great that the car does a three sixty roll across the road before finally landing back on it's wheels.


	6. Chapter 6

o

 **Until Death Do You Part**

 **Chapter Six**

* * *

It takes Santana a few moments to come to her senses, her head feels slightly fuzzy and throbs where it collided with the steering wheel. She lifts her hand towards the pain in her forehead and her fingers are coated immediately with blood. It's painful, but only a small cut, nothing life threatening at least.

Santana turns her attention to Rachel who has been quiet in the passenger seat besides her. She's slumped against the window, but Santana can see no signs of blood. Santana tentatively reaches over and touches her fiancés shoulder.

"Rachel?"

Santana receives no response and she knows that Byrne could have survived the crash too. If he has, he's just another danger for them while they're trapped inside the car. She unbuckles her seat belt before reaching over and unbuckling Rachel's too.

Santana checks out of each window for any sign of Patrick Byrne and is relieved that she doesn't see the man anywhere. She knows she has to move fast despite the fogginess affecting her head. She opens the car door and swiftly exits the car, closing the door behind her.

Santana makes her way around the front of the car, keeping low down and as close to the car as possible. She's thankful that she has the cover of darkness to help conceal her whereabouts. However, the darkness could also be against her and can help to hide Byrne's location too.

Santana reaches Rachel's door and opens it as quietly as she can. She keeps crouched down and gently cups her fiancés face.

"Rachel, can you hear me?"

"San, what's going on?" Rachel asks groggily.

"The car crashed. Patrick might come after us so we need to move."

"My head hurts" Rachel says.

She attempts to touch part of her head that feels painful but she barely moves before she lets out a hiss of pain.

"My wrist hurts too."

"I'll have a look at it once I get you out of the car. Come on."

Santana guides Rachel out of the car with as much care as possible so she doesn't cause her fiancée any more pain. Just as Rachel is out of the car the driver's seat window smashes into tiny pieces. Santana looks up, through the remainder of the window and sees Byrne pointing a gun towards the car.

He's at least a hundred feet away which gives Santana the opportunity to duck down and get Rachel into cover behind the car's rear tyre before he can shoot again.

"I need you to stay here" Santana says.

"What? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to confront him."

"Santana, he just tried to kill us. You can't go out there."

"He'll kill us if we stay here. I have to do something."

"Please don't leave me" Rachel whispers as she tries to hold back her tears.

"I'll be back, I promise."

Santana cups Rachel's face with her hands and places a loving kiss on her lips.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Santana stands up and slowly walks around the car until she's standing across from Byrne. He raises his gun as soon as he sees her so Santana raises her own gun in return.

"You know it's a longer sentence if you kill a police officer."

"I don't care."

Santana knows that he doesn't care, she's probably not the only officer he's pointed a gun at, but she's just trying to buy herself some time.

"Where is my dear wife?" Byrne asks.

"You're ex-wife is safe and I'll keep her safe."

"Is she really worth this Santana?"

Santana knows that he's using her first name to try and evoke some kind of reaction from her, but she keeps her face straight as she keeps her eyes on him.

"Is Rachel really worth losing your life for?" Byrne asks, dropping the hand holding the gun slightly.

"Of course she is; I love her. That's the difference between us, I love her and will protect her with my life and all you ever did was use her."

"I didn't plan on using her at the beginning, when we met I genuinely liked her, but then I saw the bigger picture, an opportunity. We married quickly so I could get into America. I gave her what she wanted and then that little bitch ratted me out."

"You're a killer; any decent human would have done the same."

"She was my wife; I gave her everything she wanted so she would stay out of my business."

"What Rachel wanted was a husband; she wanted to be loved, to have a family."

"She betrayed me and I don't take too kindly to that. That's why once I've finished with you; I'll take care of her."

Byrne raises his gun again and pulls the trigger, anticipating the shot, Santana pulls her trigger too.

Santana feels a searing pain in her shoulder and a quick look at the blood on her shirt confirms she's been shot.

Her next thought is of Byrne, she looks over to where he was stood but he's no longer on his feet. She goes to walk over to him, but before she can she feels arms wrap around her from behind.

"I heard the gun shots, I was so scared" Rachel says, holding on to Santana as tight as possible with an injured wrist. Santana turns around to face her fiancée.

"Oh my god, you're bleeding!"

"It's nothing, just a graze" Santana lies.

"I need to check Byrne; he still might be a threat. Stay here."

Santana holds her gun firmly in her hand as she approaches Byrne who is lying on the floor, his hand clutching his chest.

"Looks like I have a better shot than you" Santana says, pointing the gun at Byrne.

"Maybe, but you don't have the balls to finish me off."

"You're right. I'm not a murderer like you."

As Santana turns to walk away, Byrne reaches for his gun that's lying next to him. He raises it with all the strength he can muster and aims it at Santana's head.

It was the opportunity Santana needed to finish him off, he doesn't get the chance to pull the trigger. Santana shoots first, straight into his heart. That's if he even had one.

"Santana!"

"It's okay baby, it's over now" Santana says, gathering Rachel into her arms.

The sound of sirens surprises them; Santana looks towards the road and sees the blue and red flashing lights. They're surrounded by three police cars and in moments there are police officers exiting the vehicles.

One of the officers, a short blonde man approaches them.

"Drop the weapon!" he yells.

Santana had forgotten about the gun in her hand and drops it to the floor immediately.

"I'm a police officer."

"I know who you are, Detective Lopez but we still have to follow protocol."

"Lopez!"

Santana's glad to see a familiar face as Officer Clarke runs over to them.

"Hey Dan."

"Are you okay? Jesus, have you been shot?" Clarke asks as he reaches for his radio on his shoulder.

Santana automatically covers her blood stained shoulder, her adrenaline had eased the pain, but now he life was no longer in danger she could feel the intense pain in her shoulder again.

"Dispatch this is Officer Clarke, we need an ambulance down here now. Officer wounded."

Santana keeps the pressure on her shoulder, but it doesn't help ease the pain. Another Officer approaches them, Clarke's partner Officer Barnes.

"How's Patrick Byrne?"

"Dead. The paramedics will have to confirm it though."

"How did you know where we were?" Santana asks.

"Dobbs called it in. He said that your apartment has been broken into and Patrick Byrne was in Lima and looking for you. He asked us to meet us at the College Hill Motel so that you could have back up if necessary. When we arrived at the motel, there were other officers there. They arrested Byrne's men and Dobbs was being put into an ambulance. He said that he gave you his car and that it had a tracking device. We put the details in our system and followed it here."

"How is Dobbs?"

"He lost a lot of blood, they took him for surgery. We won't know anything until he's out, hopefully he'll make it."

"Okay enough chit chat, we have to start an investigation" the short, blonde officer says.

"We will Murray, once Detective Lopez has been seen by a paramedic."

As if on cue two ambulances arrive. The first team of paramedics head over to Byrne, but Santana knows that he's already gone. The second team makes their way over to Santana and Rachel; they immediately go straight to Santana since she's bleeding.

"It looks like we have a gun shot wound, no through and through so the bullet is still inside."

"What? You said it was just a graze."

"I didn't want to worry you. Johnson?" Santana asks looking at the female paramedic's name badge.

"Do you think you could check Rachel out, she was complaining about a pain in her wrist."

"Santana, I'm fine."

"I'll be the judge of that" Johnson says with a warming smile.

"Detective Lopez we're going to have to take you to the hospital. Your wound isn't fatal, but we need to remove the bullet and close the wound to limit the risk of infection."

"I'm coming with you" Rachel says trying to get out of the grasp of the paramedic.

"Don't worry; Miss Berry is fine, she's just sprained her wrist. We can sort it out at the hospital as I doubt she'll want to leave your side at the moment" Johnson tells Santana.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, now lets get you two to the hospital."

Johnson helps Santana into the back of the ambulance and onto the gurney, much to Santana's protests. She didn't like feeling weak, but with the pain shooting through her shoulder she gave up the fight and laid down on the metal bed.

As she lays there she can see the scene before her through the ambulance's open doors. Dobbs' car is completely wrecked and just a few feet away Patrick Byrne's body was on a gurney similar to the one she was lying on.

However, he wasn't being lifted into an ambulance, he lying in a black body bag and was being carried into a coroner's car.

Rachel enters the ambulance, her arm in a temporary sling. She sits on the seat along the ambulance wall and at the side of Santana's bed. Rachel uses her good arm to take Santana's hand in her own just as the paramedic shuts the ambulance's doors, covering the evidence of the night's trauma and leaving Santana and Rachel alone for a few moments before she returned to keep an eye on Santana.

"Patrick's dead" Rachel says, she hadn't really had time to let that sink in.

"I know."

"A few weeks ago, you said that once you found Pattrick you'd ask me a certain question again."

"I know and if I remember correctly you said that your answer would be yes. However I don't think the back of an ambulance whilst I'm bleeding after being shot by your ex-husband is the ideal place to ask."

Rachel lets out a soft laugh at Santana's comment, it's been a hard night but thankfully now it was over and they can start to relax.

"I love you."

"I love you too" Santana replies.

The back door of the ambulance opens and the female paramedic, Johnson climbs into the vehicle.

"Okay ladies, let's get you out of here."

* * *

 _Santana walks down the aisle among the rows of chairs that have been perfectly set out. She surveys her surroundings; the walls were bare brick with large stained glass windows scattered throughout. It felt strange to be wearing her police uniform when she's not at a ceremony._

 _Santana still can't put that night in the motel behind her. She had suspected her partner of betrayal and then he put his life on the line for her. She could never thank him enough for that; there were many things that she wished she had told him. He wasn't just her partner, he was her best friend._

 _As Santana comes to the end of the end of the aisle she removes her hat as she views the altar and the flowers surrounding it._

 _"Hey Dobbs" she says with a soft smile._

 _There was something that she wanted to say to him, but she's struggling to find the words._

 _"How did you know that it was me?"_

 _"Please I can recognize the shuffle of your feet anywhere" Santana smiles as she turns around to look at her partner._

 _"What are you doing here? The wedding doesn't start for another hour, are you repenting your sins?" Dobbs jokes._

 _"That makes no sense, this isn't even a church."_

 _It's slightly awkward, they haven't talked about what happened the night Dobbs was shot. He was in hospital for a few months after he recovered from his surgery, a few of those he spent in a coma. He hadn't returned to work until a few weeks ago so Santana hadn't seen him as much as she normally would._

 _The last year had been rough; there was an investigation into Byrne's death, it was police protocol. They were the hardest days of Santana's life, the uncertainty of the outcome was constantly weighing on her mind every day._

 _Santana wasn't allowed to work during that time either, it was hard not being able to do her job since it's all she has know for the past eight years._

 _After all the evidence was reviewed Santana was cleared fully and was finally able to work again. Captain Matthews had constantly told her throughout the ordeal that she had nothing to worry about since she was acting in self defence against a known violent criminal, but still that didn't stop the huge sense of relief washing over her when the official word came and it was found that she shot in self defence and that Byrne shot first._

 _Everything was starting to get back to normal, everything except her relationship with Dobbs. Things had changed between then since that night. She had tried to approach the topic once before but he stopped her and moved the conversation on, but Santana knows that this conversation needs to happen._

 _"Look Dobbs about what I said at the motel."_

 _"I told you that I don't want to talk about that."_

 _"I know but I feel that we can't go back to how we usually are until we properly talk about this."_

 _"Okay fine. I understand why you did what you did that night, you were scared. I might have even thought the same thing myself, especially if Maggie was in danger. It's all water under the bridge now."_

 _"I still owe you, you saved my life."_

 _"I'm always doing the stupidest things."_

 _"God I missed you" Santana says wrapping her arms around Dobbs and pulling him in for a hug._

 _"Just know that there is nothing for me to forgive you for, you had a moment of mistrust, but in the circumstances I understand why. I could tell in your eyes you never truly believed what you were saying."_

 _"I don't think I've been as terrified as I was in that moment. I know it's no excuse, but I'm glad we can move past it."_

 _"Of course, partners for life right?"_

 _"We're both lucky to be alive."_

 _"That is something I'm truly thankful for. So are you nervous about the wedding?" Dobbs asks._

 _"A little bit, but I'm excited too. I've been waiting for this day for over a year and I can't believe it's finally here. I mean in a few hours Rachel is going to be my wife."_

 _"I felt the same when I married Maggie, I know I joke a lot about her but I really do love the woman."_

 _"I never thought I'd want to be like you" Santana jokes._

 _"You and Maggie truly have a great relationship. I also want to thank you for agreeing to be my best man. I know things between us had been strained, but you still always had my back."_

 _"I'll always have your back and I know that you'll have mine too. Well unless you think I'll betray you again and you aim a gun at me."_

 _"I thought we had just moved past that, but now I know I'm never going to live that down."_

 _"You better believe it" Dobbs laughs._

 _The main door opens behind them; Santana turns around to see her parents entering the large hall._

 _"I'm going to find Maggie, I'll see you at the altar" Dobbs says._

 _He exchanges a few pleasantries with Juan and Maribel before leaving them some alone time with their daughter._

 _"Mija you look beautiful."_

 _"Thanks Dad. I'm sorry Mom; I know you probably wanted me to wear a dress."_

 _"Nonsense, I've very proud of who you are and what you do Santana. However, that still doesn't mean I don't worry about you" Maribel says as she traces her fingers along the scar just above Santana's eye._

 _It will always be a reminder of what happened that night, not that she needed one._

 _"You don't have to worry about me, I can take care of myself."_

 _"I know that, but as a mother it's my right to worry."_

 _"So are you nervous?" Juan asks._

 _"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"_

 _"It's just a natural feeling to have before you get married. I was nervous before marrying your mom, but I just didn't let it show."_

 _"I thought I was hiding it pretty well" Santana admits._

 _"You two are so alike"_

 _"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not" Santana jokes._

 _"It is. I love you both very much."_

 _"We love you very much too, right Santana?"_

 _"Of course we do. It seems like more guests are arriving so I think I should go to my room and get ready."_

 _Santana gives both her parents a hug before exiting the hall to find her dressing room._

* * *

 _Santana looked at herself in the mirror; she had been waiting for this day for a long time. She had been through hell the past year and she hopes that once she and Rachel are married they can have a clean slate as they start their married life together._

 _The wedding is only possible because of Byrne's death, since Rachel was no longer technically married to the man it meant that she was free to marry Santana. When Santana found out that Rachel was married, her intention was to find Rachel's husband and convince him to sign divorce papers. She never expected it to end with her killing the man._

 _Santana still had the small bullet shaped scar on her shoulder that reminds her of that night. She also had to go through a course of therapy, it was mandatory for an officer that had been shot during duty. Santana wasn't really one for therapy, that was more Rachel's thing, but she must admit it really helped her during her recovery and the investigation._

 _Santana received an honorable welcome when she returned to the station after being declared fit to return to work. She was briefed about the case by Captain Mathews when she returned, it turned out that her instincts were correct and that Byrne was involved in the drug ring._

 _He was the top rung in the drug dealing ladder known as the Saint. So not only had Santana managed to protect her future wife from harm, she also managed to take down a whole drug operation._

 _Byrne was dead, his right hand man was in prison and his suppliers and dealers; Estevez, Walker, Phelps and Marsden were behind bars too. The case was officially closed._

 _There were still plenty of more cases for Santana to work on and all of her free time she spent with Rachel planning their wedding. They decided that since their wedding wasn't going to be a religious ceremony they were going to have some elements and traditions from both of their faiths included._

 _They are getting married underneath a Chuppah, a beautiful wedding canopy made from white cloth and decorated with fresh flowers. The service would have a mix of Jewish and Catholic prayers but Santana wanted to stick with the traditional Catholic vows since they had always struck a chord with her. The end of the service would be honored with the Jewish tradition of the breaking of the glass._

 _After the ceremony they would participate in Yichud, a few minutes of privacy for the newlyweds. This is one part of the wedding Santana had insisted on, usually during one of her family's weddings the whole family would crowd the new couple and give their congratulations, but during Yichud Santana can have a few moments alone with her wife in peace._

 _All those months of planning came down to one day and that day was today._

 _Santana smooth down an imaginary wrinkle on her shirt, she wasn't sure about wearing her uniform for the wedding when Rachel suggested it but she was glad that she had now. There was a knock on the door which turns Santana's attention away from the mirror._

 _"Come in" she calls._

 _"Hey Mija. It's time to get you married."_

 _Santana follows her father out of her dressing room and down the corridor that leads to the main door to the wedding hall. Santana is the first to walk down the aisle. She had asked Rachel if she could go first because she has been dreaming of watching Rachel walking down the aisle to her in a white dress for months._

 _She can hear the music start from the other side of the doors so she loops her arm into her father's. He opens the door with his free hand and guides his daughter down the aisle. It is a small affair, their wedding list consisting mainly of family and friends including colleagues from the diner and Santana's fellow officers._

 _As she reaches the end of the aisle she finds her best friend and best man Dobb's waiting for her with a smile on her face. Juan kisses Santana on the cheek before leaving his daughter and taking a seat next to his wife._

 _The music starts up again and Santana immediately turns around in anticipation to see her bride walk down the aisle. Santana's wait was well worth it as she see's Rachel appear through the doors with her father's on each side._

 _She's wearing a simple white gown, the simplicity highlighting Rachel's natural beauty. Leroy and Hiram are wearing matching navy tuxedos, the same as Santana's father. They had chosen the outfits to compliment the police uniforms that Santana and Dobbs were wearing._

 _Santana can't keep the smile of her face as she watches Rachel walk down the aisle. Rachel has a similar smile gracing her face too; she hasn't taken her eyes off Santana since she entered the room._

 _"You look beautiful" Santana whispers as Rachel stands across from her._

 _"You don't look too bad yourself" Rachel says, reaching out and placing a hand on the medal of valor clipped to Santana's pocket. It hangs just below the scar of the bullet wound caused by Patrick Byrne._

 _It came as a shock to her when Captain Matthews had informed both Santana and Dobbs that they would be receiving the medal of valor for their acts of bravery and risking their lives whilst solving the case against Patrick Byrne._

 _It had been a proud moment when they received the medals, wearing the uniforms they're wearing at this moment._

 _Rachel removes her hand from the medal and steps into place. The officiant greets all of the guest and the wives to be. He reads a few prayers from both faiths before starting the vows for Santana to repeat._

 _"I, Santana Lopez, take you, Rachel Barbra Berry to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish…. till death us do part."_

* * *

 _A/N Thank you to everyone that's been reading and especially those that took the time to review. Also thank you to Beebeeborez for your help and for taking the time to edit for me._


End file.
